


EOTW: Novella Four: Shrewfoot's Spite

by Jayie_The_Hufflepuff



Series: Warriors: Series 5.5: Echoes of the War [10]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-03-30 21:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13960815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff/pseuds/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff
Summary: Fourth novella in the EOTW series. Shrewpaw, daughter of Blackstar, can't wait to become the best warrior ever for ShadowClan. But when her training is unexpectedly delayed, she is forced to watch her rivals move forward, while she is left behind. When a cat she trusted above all others betrays her, her spite for all impure cats only grows, until it leads her down a dark path...





	1. Allegiances

Shrewfoot's Spite Allegiances

 

**SHADOWCLAN**

 

**LEADER**

BLACKSTAR – large white tom with jet-black paws

**DEPUTY**

RUSSETFUR – dark ginger she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT**

LITTLECLOUD – very small tabby tom

**WARRIORS**

NIGHTWHISPER – brown tom with green eyes, formerly a loner  
WHITEWATER – white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye  
     APPRENTICE, REDPAW  
OAKFUR – small brown tom  
ROWANCLAW – ginger tom  
     APPRENTICE, IVYPAW  
SNAKETAIL – dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail  
     APPRENTICE, SPIDERPAW  
KINKFUR – tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles  
SMOKEFOOT – black tom  
     APPRENTICE, OWLPAW  
CROWFROST – black-and-white tom  
     APPRENTICE, OLIVEPAW  
TOADFOOT – dark brown tom  
APPLEFUR – mottled brown she-cat  
RATSCAR – brown tom with long scar across his back  
     APPRENTICE, SHREWPAW

**APPRENTICES**

OLIVEPAW – tortoiseshell she-cat  
IVYPAW – black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat  
OWLPAW – light brown tabby tom  
REDPAW – mottled brown-and-ginger tom  
SHREWPAW – gray she-cat with black paws and yellow eyes  
SPIDERPAW – gray tom with black front paws and pale blue eyes

**QUEENS**

SNOWBIRD – pure white she-cat, mother of Crowfrost's kits (Scorchkit, a dark gray tom)  
TAWNYPELT – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, expecting Rowanclaw's kits

**ELDERS**

FERNSHADE – tortoiseshell she-cat  
BOULDER – skinny gray tom  
TALLPOPPY – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat  
CEDARHEART – dark gray tom

 

**THUNDERCLAN**

 

**LEADER**

FIRESTAR – handsome ginger tom

**DEPUTY**

BRAMBLECLAW – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes  
     APPRENTICE, BERRYPAW

**MEDICINE CAT**

LEAFPOOL – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**WARRIORS**

DUSTPELT – dark brown tabby tom  
     APPRENTICE, HAZELPAW  
SANDSTORM – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes  
     APPRENTICE, HONEYPAW  
BRACKENFUR – golden brown tabby tom  
     APPRENTICE, MOLEPAW  
BRIGHTHEART – white she-cat with ginger patches  
THORNCLAW – golden brown tabby tom  
     APPRENTICE, POPPYPAW  
CLOUDTAIL – long-haired white tom with blue eyes  
     APPRENTICE, CINDERPAW  
ASHFUR – pale gray (with darker flecks) tom with dark blue eyes  
STORMFUR – dark gray tom with amber eyes, formerly of RiverClan  
BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM (BROOK) – brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes, formerly of the Tribe of Rushing Water  
SORRELTAIL – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes  
SPIDERLEG – long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes  
     APPRENTICE, MOUSEPAW  
WHITEWING – white she-cat with green eyes  
BIRCHFALL – light brown tabby tom

**QUEENS**

DAISY – cream long-furred cat from the horseplace  
FERNCLOUD – pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes, expecting Dustpelt's kits  
SQUIRRELFLIGHT – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother of Brambleclaw's kits (Jaykit, a gray tabby tom, Hollykit, a black she-cat, and Lionkit, a golden tabby tom)

**ELDERS**

MOUSEFUR – small dusky brown she-cat  
LONGTAIL – pale tabby tom with black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

 

**WINDCLAN**

 

**LEADER**

ONESTAR – brown tabby tom

**DEPUTY**

ASHFOOT – gray she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT**

BARKFACE – short-tailed brown tom  
     APPRENTICE, KESTRELPAW

**WARRIORS**

TORNEAR – tabby tom  
     APPRENTICE, HAREPAW  
WHITETAIL – small white she-cat  
CROWFEATHER – dark gray tom  
     APPRENTICE, HEATHERPAW  
OWLWHISKER – light brown tabby tom  
GORSETAIL – very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes  
EMBERFOOT – gray tom with two darker paws  
WEASELFUR – ginger tom with white paws  
ANTPELT – brown tom with one black ear

**QUEENS**

NIGHTCLOUD – black she-cat, mother of Crowfeather's kits (Breezekit, a black tom with amber eyes)  
MORNINGFLOWER – very old tortoiseshell queen, mother of Tornear's kits (Leafkit, a dark tabby tom with amber eyes, Sunkit, a tortoiseshell she-cat with a large white marking on her forehead)

**ELDERS**

DARKFOOT – dark gray tabby tom with darker paws  
WEBFOOT – dark gray tabby tom

 

**RIVERCLAN**

 

**LEADER**

LEOPARDSTAR – unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

**DEPUTY**

MISTYFOOT – blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes  
     APPRENTICE, DAPPLEPAW

**MEDICINE CAT**

MOTHWING – dappled golden she-cat  
     APPRENTICE, WILLOWPAW

**WARRIORS**

BLACKCLAW – smoky black tom  
MOSSPELT – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes  
     APPRENTICE, PEBBLEPAW  
ICEWING – white she-cat with blue eyes  
REEDWHISKER – black tom  
     APPRENTICE, POUNCEPAW  
VOLETOOTH – small brown tabby tom  
     APPRENTICE, MINNOWPAW  
OTTERHEART – dark brown she-cat  
PINEFUR – tabby she-cat  
BEECHFUR – light brown tom  
DUSKFUR – brown tabby she-cat  
RIPPLETAIL – dark gray tabby tom  
GRAYMIST – pale gray tabby she-cat  
RAINSTORM – mottled blue-gray tom

**QUEENS**

DAWNFLOWER – pale gray she-cat, mother of Blackclaw's kits (Copperkit, a dark ginger she-cat, and Nettlekit, a dark brown tabby tom)

**ELDERS**

SWALLOWTAIL – dark tabby she-cat  
STONESTREAM – skinny gray tom, retired early due to a leg injured by a fox trap

 

**CATS OUTSIDE THE CLAN**

 

SMOKY – muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the horseplace  
FLOSS – small gray-and-white she-cat who lives at the horseplace  
GRAYSTRIPE – long-haired tom, formerly ThunderClan deputy  
MILLIE – gray tabby she-cat, formerly a kittypet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the allegiances for my new novella, Shrewfoot's Spite. ShadowClan comes first this time since they're the focus of the novella. The book starts just before The Sight, around a moon before Squirrelflight's litter are made apprentices.
> 
> I used the allegiances from The Sight, but I added in a bunch of cats who, according to the parents and birth dates I've assigned for them, were alive at the time and just weren't listed in the allegiances. Feel free to ask me if you're confused about why any of these cats are on the list, or who is related to who or when who was born. Most of it will probably be revealed in later ref sheets, but I'll answer what I can.
> 
> Not sure if I'll be making ref sheets for them all, but I'll at least add the ones I've already drawn, which should be a fair few of them. I'll get to reuploading their ref sheets for this book some time later.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One young kitten waits for the most important day of her life...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter One

     The pale light of dawn was just beginning to break over the forest. It filtered through the soft, low-hanging branches that sheltered the camp, casting the dusty floor of the camp in a weak, golden glow. Nothing was stirring in the camp; even the morning birds hadn't yet begun their song. But one young creature was already wide awake.

     Even as her denmates snored around her, the young kitten scrambled out of her nest, bounding towards the nursery entrance, peering through the low-hanging brambles to watch the sun climb into the sky. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and her pelt was quivering with excitement. On any other day, this would have been much too early for even her to wake up. But today wasn't just any day. It was the day she had been waiting for for the last six moons of her life. Today was the day that she was to take her first step in becoming the best warrior her Clan had ever seen. The excitement had kept her awake through most of the night, and even now, she felt as if she could race all the way to the Moonpool and back with the energy surging through her paws.

     She watched as the sun crept up past the branches that hung over the camp, the sky growing lighter and lighter as dawn drew on. A few cats left the camp behind, setting off for the dawn patrol, but the rest of the Clan was still asleep. The kit's paws itched with impatience. She turned away from the entrance, bounding lightly back into the den.

     The massive, fluffy form of her mother was still curled up in their nest, her sides slowly rising and falling as she slept. Another, smaller form lay beside her. The she-kit's eyes narrowed in anticipation. She lowered herself into a crouch, drawing herself step by step towards the small form. She bunched her hind legs underneath her in her best impression of a hunter's crouch, then launched herself towards the other kit with a fierce battle cry. “For ShadowClan!”

     “ _Ree-ee-owr!_ ” The other kit nearly jumped out of his pelt when the she-cat landed clumsily on his back. He scrambled back, bumping into the large queen on his way back, his eyes wide.

     The queen's head shot up in surprise as the tom-kit crashed into her. “What in StarClan?” she growled, her pelt fluffed out in shock.

     Both kits halted immediately at the sound of their mother's growl. “Sorry, Mother,” they chorused together. The young she-cat felt a trickle of guilt for rousing her mother so abruptly, but her excitement quickly quashed any feelings of guilt. This was the most important day of her life, why should she waste it sleeping just so everyone else could rest?

     Her mother seemed to sense her thoughts. The massive she-cat looked down at her daughter with a stern expression, her lip curled. Her stern look was enough to make the young kitten stiffen immediately, though excitement still thrummed at her paws.

     After a few moments, however, the queen turned away with a dismissive lash of her tail. “Mouse-brained kits,” she grumbled, but there was affection in her mew. “Shrewkit, next time, try not to wake the whole den with your yowling.”

     Even as she spoke, the den's other residents were grumbling as they looked up from their nests. A white she-cat was trying to sooth the dark gray kit that was mewling beside her, and a pale tortoiseshell was yawning, a sleepy light to her green eyes. As she woke up more, however, the look in her eyes became one of annoyance. “Whitewater, could you try to keep your kits from yowling and waking everyone up?” she asked. Her jaws split in another yawn. “Some of us are trying to get some sleep here.”

     Whitewater gave the tortoiseshell a curt nod. “I will, Tawnypelt,” she said in a clipped mew. Shrewkit threw a glare the tortoiseshell's way, sticking her tongue out when both her mother and Tawnypelt weren't looking. Tawnypelt could be snarky at the best of times, but she had become increasingly bossy and grumpy ever since she'd moved into the den expecting Rowanclaw's kits last moon. Whitewater said that most queens got a bit cranky when they were expecting, and that Tawnypelt probably felt grumpy about not getting to hunt with the other warriors. But Shrewkit had never liked the tortoiseshell queen. She was too bossy, too self-righteous, too prone to arguing with the other warriors, and even their leader. Shrewkit was glad to be leaving the nursery behind while Tawnypelt was still there; she wouldn't have to deal with the queen's likely equally-annoying kits when they did arrive.

     Whitewater turned her gaze to her kits. As she did, Shrewkit saw the ugly, jagged scars that stretched across her right eye, and the milky film that marked the eye as blind. As a kit, Whitewater and her sister Blossomkit had been subjected to the harsh training all kits had been put through during Brokenstar's reign. A particularly fierce battle session had seen Blossomkit killed under Brokenstar's claws, and a later session had blinded Whitewater in one eye. More than one kit had perished under those harsh conditions, but Whitewater had fought hard to survive, and she had made it through not only Brokenstar's reign, but the equally bloody reign of Tigerstar. Even if Whitewater could be stern sometimes, Shrewkit was proud to have the Clan's toughest warrior as her mother. If Whitewater could make it through such terrible things when she was only a kit, Shrewkit knew she could do it too, and that one day, she would be a warrior to make both of her parents proud.

     “Why don't you two go get something off of the fresh-kill pile?” Whitewater suggested to her kits. “I know you two must be excited about your big day, but the rest of us would like to get a little more sleep. Wait until you've finished eating to come back inside.”

     “Yes, Whitewater,” Shrewkit agreed easily. She was glad to escape the den of grumpy queens, and she didn't mind the idea of staying out in camp while they slept, there was more room for her and her brother to play out there. As Whitewater turned away and began grooming herself, Shrewkit turned to the tom-kit, giving him a friendly nudge with one paw. “Come on, Spiderkit,” she mewed. “Let's go!”

     Spiderkit blinked at his sister. He was clearly still recovering from his abrupt awakening, but his pale blue gaze, identical to Whitewater's one good eye, were becoming clearer. “Alright,” he said in his soft mew. He allowed Shrewkit to lead him out of the nursery and into the camp beyond.

     The two kits made their way to the fresh-kill pile towards the edge of the camp. As they shared a lizard between them, Shrewkit let her gaze sweep over their camp. Low-hanging branches from pine and hazel trees hung over the dip in the ground, shielding their sheltered camp from the view of any enemies. A thorn tunnel that led up a slope served as the entrance into camp, which was blocked off on other sides by thicker bushes and tree trunks. A sense of contentment filled her chest at the sight. ThunderClan might have their twoleg-cut stone walls, which was no better than living in a twoleg den to her mind, but ShadowClan had the best, most secure and well-made camp in the Clans. Any mouse-brained enemies who decided to try their paw at invading would find themselves being driven out through the thorns with their tails between their legs. And very, very soon, Shrewkit would be one of the ones helping to defend their great camp, and their great Clan.

     While her own pelt thrummed with excitement, Spiderkit didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. He was picking listlessly at the lizard with a dull glaze to his eyes. “Are you alright?” Shrewkit asked. Her brother was generally on the quieter side, and preferred listening quietly to the elder's tales to play-fighting, but he wasn't usually this out of it.

     The small tom started at her question. He glanced at her, his ears flattened back in embarrassment. “I'm fine,” he answered quickly. “Really. It's just... well...” The kit hesitated, his gaze falling down to his paws, before admitting, “I'm just nervous, that's all. What if I don't know what I'm supposed to do at the ceremony? What if I get a really strict mentor?”

     Shrewkit's concern melted away, her whiskers twitched with amusement. “Don't be such a scaredy-mouse,” she teased, shoving his shoulder playfully with one paw. She failed to notice the tom's hurt expression. “Our father's the one who picks our mentors, remember? He's the leader! He's not gonna pick bad mentors for us!”

     Spiderkit flattened his ear back, embarrassed. “I guess not,” he murmured.

     “Besides, I'd rather get a mentor who was too strict than not strict enough,” Shrewkit went on. “I wanna learn _everything_ there is about being a warrior! One day, I'm gonna be the best warrior in ShadowClan, so I have to learn everything I can!”

     Suddenly, a deep voice spoke from behind the kits. “That's what I like to hear.”

     The pair whirled around, brightening at the sight of the massive tom behind them. “Blackstar!” Shrewkit immediately abandoned the lizard to rush to her father's side, rubbing against his legs and purring deeply. Her purr was echoed by her father, whose purr rumbled deep in his chest. Spiderkit was slower to approach, but he was purring too as he pressed against his father's side.

     Blackstar bent down to the level of his kits, touching his nose to each one in turn. Pride was blazing in his amber eyes. “I thought I might find you two out of your nests early this morning,” he rumbled. He rasped his tongue over Spiderkit's back, causing him to purr. “Ready for the ceremony?”

     “Yes!” Shrewkit crowed, drowning out Spiderkit's less enthusiastic reply. Her pelt was fluffed out with excitement. “I can't wait to start training! I'm gonna have those ThunderClan mousehearts running for the hills in no time!”

     Blackstar's whiskers twitched. “Don't go charging into battle too soon,” he warned. He pulled Shrewkit closer with one paw, rasping his tongue over the top of her head. “Your first day will probably just be a tour of the territory. I don't need my little girl getting hurt running into a battle she isn't ready for.”

     Shrewkit wriggled impatiently out of his paw's grasp. “I'll be ready for battle before you know it!” she boasted. “I'm gonna be the strongest warrior in the Clan, and I'll beat all the other apprentices in training!”

     A deep _mrowrr_ of laughter rumbled in Blackstar's chest. “I'm sure you will,” he purred, touching his nose to Shrewkit's.

     Pawsteps sounded behind them, the sound of a tail swishing impatiently. “I thought I told you kits not to wake anyone else this early?” Shrewkit turned to see Whitewater approaching the kits, her eyes narrowed.

     Blackstar straightened, purring as his mate approached. “They didn't wake me, I woke myself,” he explained. He touched his nose to Whitewater's cheek as she came to stand before him. “I wanted one more morning to play with my kits before they get too busy with their training.”

     Spiderkit blinked up at his Blackstar, murmuring, “We'll never be too busy for you.”

     Warmth sparkled in Whitewater's eyes. For a moment, her stern demeanor melted away, and she purred as she touched her nose to the top of Spiderkit's head. “I hope not, little one,” she mewed. When she straightened again, she pressed her muzzled against Blackstar's neck, purring as the mates sat together, pressed against each other's pelts. Blackstar and Whitewater were both proud, stoic cats, who valued appearing strong to their Clanmates over public displays of affection. But it was private moments of tenderness like this that made Shrewkit sure that her parents loved her, and each other, very dearly.

     After a few moments, however, Whitewater pulled away, blinking warmly at her mate. “I should get back to the nursery,” she mewed. “Snowbird wanted me to bring her a frog, she doesn't want to leave her nest too often while Scorchkit is still so young, and Tawnypelt asked me to bring her something too. I won't hear the end of it if I take too long.” She padded over to the fresh-kill pile, grabbing some prey off of the top, before carrying it away back to the nursery.

     Blackstar watched her go for a few moments, then turned back to his kits, purring. “Alright,” he said in his deep rumble. “What do you say to one last round of Badger Attack before I have to start my duties for the day?”

     “Yes please!” both kits cried out. Spiderkit was already starting to look more alert at the prospect of a good game, and Shrewkit was overjoyed at the thought of working out her excess energy. She was going to be a serious warrior very soon – but it couldn't hurt to have one more silly game with her father before starting her training.

**SCENEBREAK**

     “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Tall Branch for a Clan meeting!”

     Cats were already beginning to gather in front of the tree that served as Blackstar's den by the time his call rang out. Word had spread quickly through the Clan that the leader's kits were to be made apprentices today. Shrewkit and Spiderkit were already seated beside Whitewater. Their gray-and-black pelts, so similar to each other, had been groomed to perfection by their mother for the ceremony. Shrewkit could barely contain her excitement as her Clanmates gathered around her. Her moment was so close now.

     Blackstar looked down at his Clan from the thick branch that hung in front of the crowd. Though he had a much more stoic appearance in front of the Clan, he couldn't quite disguise the gleam of pride in his eyes. “Today, we witness two young cats taking their first steps towards becoming full warriors of ShadowClan,” he called out in his deep mew. “Shrewkit and Spiderkit, step forward!”

     Shrewkit practically bounded towards the Tall Branch in her excitement. Spiderkit followed more hesitantly. Though he'd seemed more chipper while they'd been playing with Blackstar, all of his earlier fear seemed to have returned now. Shrewkit spared him a brief, concerned glance, before turning her attention back to her father. Spiderkit was just being silly, he'd be fine once he'd met his mentor and actually started his training. She wasn't going to let her brother's anxiety spoil her big moment.

     Blackstar's eyes blazed with pride as he looked down at his kits. He turned to his son first, who was gazing up at him with wide blue eyes. “From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this cat will be known as Spiderpaw,” he rumbled. The tom seemed to shrink back from his new name, but after a moment, he lifted his chin, seeming a bit more confident. Blackstar looked out into the crowd, his gaze searching for a particular warrior, until he apparently found what he was looking for. “Snaketail,” he rumbled.

     Shrewkit followed Blackstar's gaze. The dark brown warrior was padding through the crowd, his eyes narrowed as he approached his new apprentice. Spiderpaw flattened his ears back, seeming intimidated by his new mentor's stern expression. Shrewkit was surprised at Blackstar's choice. Snaketail was a strong warrior, but a strict one, and a bit of a boastful one as well. Her sensitive brother was sure to be intimidated by him.

     In addition, Snaketail was halfClan. His father, Nightwhisper, was watching his son with a proud expression from the crowd. Nightwhisper had been born a loner, recruited into the Clan by the tyrant Tigerstar. Shrewkit had always been uneasy at the thought of cats with divided blood, and divided loyalties, serving as warriors in her Clan. How could any cat be truly loyal if they had kin outside of the Clan? Who could ever fight against their own kin.

     However, despite Snaketail's heritage, there was no denying that he was a strong warrior. And perhaps Blackstar thought that a strong mentor would be able to build up Spiderpaw's confidence and make him a stronger warrior in the long run.

     “You have been a strong presence in our Clan for moons,” Blackstar called out, his gaze still fixed on Snaketail. “You hunted for our Clan during harsh leafbare when we lost our home, and you helped keep our cats strong during the Great Journey. I know that you will pass on your strength and courage to your new apprentice.” Spiderpaw hesitated briefly, but a few murmured words from Snaketail were enough to make him lift his muzzle and touch noses with his new mentor.

     “Shrewkit.” The young she-cat was brought out of her distraction by Blackstar's voice. She looked back up at her father, joy blazing through every hair on her pelt. Pride was bright in Blackstar's eyes as he rumbled, “From this moment on, until she has earned her warrior name, this cat will be known as Shrewpaw.” The she-cat brought her chin up proudly, purring at the sound of her new name.

     Blackstar's gaze searched the crowd briefly. “Ratscar,” he called out. Shrewpaw blinked, frozen by surprise as she watched the tom pad out of the crowd towards her. Ratscar and his sister Snowbird were the Clan's newest warriors, having only served for a couple of moons so far. He was far more inexperienced than the other warriors in the Clan. In addition, he'd been badly wounded by a pack of rats when he was still an apprentice, a long, jagged scar across his back earning him his warrior name. Would a young, injured tom like him really be able to train her to be a great warrior?

     The massive leader continued, “Although you are young, you have shown yourself to be a clever resourceful warrior. The scar that gave you your name proves you to be a warrior who can survive battles that would cut down other warriors. I'm sure you will pass down your quick thinking and your hardiness to your new apprentice.” Ratscar came to stand before Shrewkit, giving an encouraging flick of his tail. For a brief moment, Shrewpaw hesitated.

     Her new mentor seemed to sense her apprehension. “Don't worry,” he murmured to her, his green eyes glowing with pride. “I'll teach you everything I know, and I'll help you be the best warrior you can be.”

     Shrewpaw held Ratscar's gaze for a few moments, considering. Then, in a deliberate motion, she reached her muzzle out to touch noses with her new mentor. Maybe he was young, but if Blackstar thought he was the right mentor for her, she trusted his choice. Joy was quickly overcoming her apprehension. She was a real apprentice now, and soon, she would begin the training that would turn her into the best warrior ShadowClan had ever seen. She and Spiderpaw would train together, and one day, they would be warriors side by side, serving their Clan with strength and honor.

     She couldn't wait to get started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we see the first chapter of Shrewfoot's Spite. ^^ Like I said on the allegiances, here we're starting about a moon before the start of the Sight, which makes Shrewpaw and her brother about a moon older than Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze. However, Shrewpaw was listed as an apprentice until Sunrise, long after those three had earned their full names. I had to do that to make her old enough to be Spiderpaw's littermate, but it'll require some explaining in-text as to why she was an apprentice so long. Don't worry, I'll explain it, I won't just wave it off. :)
> 
> We already get to see some of my new family tree stuff in this chapter. First, the reveal that Shrewpaw is littermates with Spiderpaw. I didn't make him up, he's from the books - you'll recognize him if you've read Battles of the Clans. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, but if you read the chapter Pouncetail Speaks: A Time for Mercy, then you'll know who he is. That'll get addressed too. ^^ I partly decided to make Shrewfoot and Spiderpaw littermates because of how similar they look (both gray with black paws), but also because it'll work for the story as I've planned it.
> 
> We also learn that Whitewater was born during Brokenstar's reign, and earned her blinded eye during a training session under his rule - and also that she was littermates with Blossomkit. For those who don't remember, Blossomkit was the ShadowClan kit seen in StarClan in Cats of the Clans, who Rock says was killed during a training session during Brokenstar's reign. I figured Blossomkit's fluffy white pelt made her look similar to Whitewater, and that it would make sense for the she-cat to be blinded during Brokenstar's harsh training, and therefore it would also make sense to make the two littermates. They're the kits of Nettlespot and Toadskip in my 'verse, by the by, born in a litter after Cloudpelt and Littlekit. Their pelt colors worked for their kits, and I thought it would be nice if Cloudpelt had a surviving sibling. ^^
> 
> Anyway, the next update might take a while, like I said in the description for the cover. My novel takes priority right now. I just wanted to get this started, since I'd finished the first chapter for my book. ^^ This will be an interesting story to write, but I think it will be fun in its own way, and I hope you all enjoy it.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three moons later, the ShadowClan apprentices gather for a training session...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Two

     “Trip him, Owlpaw! No, not like that. Redpaw, twist him around! That's better! Now hold him there! That's right!”

     The still calm of midday was broken up by the yowled instructions of the older warriors, and the thumping and scrambling of the apprentices as they sparred back and forth. All of the Clan's apprentices, and their mentors, had decided to come together to work on their fighting skills as a group for the day. All of the mentors were working together to give critiques to the apprentices as they sparred. Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw, as well as the other apprentices and their mentors, were sitting around the sides of the clearing, but Owlpaw and Redpaw were in the center of the dusty clearing. The brothers were currently locked in combat. Shrewpaw kept her ears perked and her gaze focused on the fight. A day like this was a great chance to prove herself in front of her Clanmates, and would bring her one step closer to be a warrior.

     Redpaw tried to pin Owlpaw to the ground, but the larger tom managed to wriggle around, twisting his smaller brother and shoving his muzzle into the dirt. Redpaw yelped in shock as he was twisted abruptly around. As Owlpaw settled his weight into his brother, Redpaw's limbs flailed uselessly in an attempt to free himself. Owlpaw waited a few moments for his struggles to die down, then let out a triumphant yowl, stepping back to let his littermate struggle to his paws.

     With the bout over, Whitewater and Smokefoot approached their apprentices, the rest of the crowd chattering to each other in excitement. “Very well done,” Smokefoot praised Owlpaw. “Next time, try to be a little quicker on that trip, and flow through the movement, don't just stop half-way. You have to throw your weight into it to trip him properly. But nice save at the end there.”

     While Owlpaw preened under his mentor's praise, Redpaw slunk away, growling as he rejoined the rest of the apprentices. “I would've beat him if he'd given me a few more moments,” he grumbled.

     “I'm sure you would have,” Ivypaw hurried to assure the tom. Redpaw still seemed annoyed, but he perked up a bit at Ivypaw's praise.

     Shrewpaw snorted. “Would haves and should haves don't catch lost prey,” she reminded Redpaw with a friendly nudge to his shoulder, quoting one of Whitewater's favorite phrases in her training. He turned a sullen glare on his denmate. “They just makes you look like a sore loser. Better to learn from your mistakes for next time.”

     Redpaw curled his lip. “Oh, and I suppose you could have done so much better, bossy whiskers?” he challenged.

     Eagerness pricked at Shrewpaw's pelt. “Why don't we find out?” she growled. “Why don't we have the next bout?”

     The annoyance started to fade from Redpaw's eyes, replaced by eagerness. Before he could answer, however, a voice spoke up from behind them. “Olivepaw and Owlpaw already have the next round.” Shrewpaw turned to see her mentor, Ratscar, standing behind her. His expression was amused as he added, “But if you're so eager to give it a go, you can have the round after them.”

     “Thank you, Ratscar!” Shrewpaw purred, Redpaw echoing her. She fluffed her pelt out, purring as the next two apprentices stepped out into the clearing.

     Olivepaw was not a large cat for her age, but she still stood taller than Owlpaw. She and her sister were already more than old enough to become full warriors – however, poor nutrition at the time of their birth, when the Clans had been starving as the old territories were destroyed, had kept them from growing strong enough to be apprenticed by six moons.

     The two had since caught up to the size and weight of their grown Clanmates, but they still had to complete a full six moons of training like every other cat. It gave Shrewpaw a certain amount of pleasure to see the high and mighty Olivepaw, who always lectured about why they shouldn't hope for battle and why Shrewpaw shouldn't be so pushy or judgmental of her denmates, having to stay in the apprentice's den long after her time.

     Olivepaw measured up her denmate carefully before springing at him. Owlpaw was naturally stronger than Olivepaw, and used his greater weight against her, shoving hard against her shoulder with his hefty paws to try and unbalance her. “Nice move, Owlpaw!” Ratscar called out.

     But Olivepaw was a clever fighter, and wasn't going to go down easily. She whirled easily away from his attack, then grasped his front paw between her jaws, tumbling forward and jerking her muzzle up, pulling Owlpaw down to the ground with her. Owlpaw struggled, pushing his paws hard against Olivepaw's throat and jaw to try and dislodge her, but she simply dropped her full weight onto him, snapping her jaws down onto his foreleg to keep him from clawing her or struggling free. In a few moments, she had secured Owlpaw against the ground.

     “Not bad.” The apprentices separated, Owlpaw pushing himself back to his paws as their mentors approached. Crowfrost touched his nose to Olivepaw's ear, his tone one of gruff pride as he spoke. “Could have been a bit faster to pin his legs, but not bad, I suppose.”

     Olivepaw met her mentor's gaze evenly. “Yes, Crowfrost,” she mewed. Shrewpaw curled her lip. Crowfrost had always been a stern sort of mentor, never quick to give praise to his halfClan apprentice, but no matter how he criticized or what passive-aggressive comments he made about her heritage, Olivepaw always kept the same even tone with him. The pompous furball probably just wanted to prove that she was better than her denmates and wouldn't lose her temper no matter how Crowfrost treated her. Shrewpaw couldn't wait for her turn to spar against the tortoiseshell, so she could have the chance to show her up.

     As the mentors conferred with their apprentices, Ratscar turned to Shrewpaw. “You're up next,” he reminded her. Excitement pricked at Shrewpaw's pelt. She started to rise to her paws, but before she and Redpaw could step out into the center of the clearing, a nearby rustling alerted her. Every cat in the clearing looked up. The apprentice's hackles flew up, their blood surging and their energy up from their sparring, but they soon lay flat again as two familiar cats approached the clearing.

     Shrewpaw's ears flew forward. “Blackstar!” she exclaimed. A delighted purr escaped her. The apprentice left her mentor behind, trotting up to her father and touching noses with him. The massive tom gave a low purr as he greeted his daughter. Though he was, as always, more reserved in his affection when in front of his Clanmates, there was still warmth in his eyes as he looked down at his daughter.

     “Hello, Shrewpaw, Spiderpaw,” he rumbled. Shrewpaw's littermate followed behind her more slowly. Though he carried himself with his usual shy bearing, he was purring quietly as he touched noses with his father. Whitewater didn't move from where she sat, but she gave a small nod as Blackstar glanced towards her, warmth sparkling in her eyes. “Russetfur and I decided to visit and see how training was going.” Russetfur was standing beside Blackstar. The scrawny deputy wearing her usual stern expression as she looked on the apprentices.

     “Good!” Shrewpaw assured her father. “Redpaw and I are about to spar!”

     Blackstar gave an amused purr. “Very good. Then we will sit and watch.” Shrewpaw's tail curled in delight. As she and Redpaw moved towards the center of the clearing, the leader and deputy settled in beside Smokefoot and Crowfrost, their ears perked and gazes focused on the apprentices. Shrewpaw could feel the gazes of both her mother and her father watching her as she took her position across the clearing from Redpaw. This was her chance to show both of them that she was shaping up to be the best warrior in the Clan.

     Redpaw's eyes were narrowed as he faced off Shrewpaw. The gray she-cat crouched low, tensing up her muscles as she prepared for the attack. Three moons had passed since she had begun her training. No longer was she the clumsy, over-eager kit that Ratscar had started off with. Now she was sleek and fit, hard muscle developing under her pelt, with the skill and speed to match her denmates in battle. She was still smaller than Redpaw, but she was faster, and she knew that she could win this fight.

     Though young himself, Ratscar had taught Shrewpaw patience, and how best to use her strength and speed to her advantage in battle. Instead of rushing right into the fight as she would have at the start of her training, she stayed crouched a few moments, measuring up her opponent and trying to think of the best way to meet his attacks. After a few moments, she lunged. Redpaw rose to meet her attack, but she slipped to the side at the last moment, ducking her muzzle down to snap her jaws down on his hind leg.

     Redpaw whirled on her and slashed his paws hard against her flank. Shrewpaw was unbalanced by the blow, but her grip on his leg didn't loosen, so she brought him down to the ground with her. His hips lay heavy across her neck, making it hard to breathe, and his other hing paw was kicking hard against her chest and belly in an attempt to dislodge her. She released her grip on his leg – the moment he started to pull his leg back, she twisted around underneath him, wrapping her forelegs around his back and burying her jaws into his back, careful not to bite too hard. As Redpaw struggled, she twisted around, pushing herself onto her hind legs, trying to to ignore the way his forepaws were battering at her ears and neck in an attempt to dislodge her.

     Shrewpaw and Redpaw both rose onto their hind legs, grappling with their forelegs to try and twist the other underneath them. Shrewpaw pushed hard against Redpaw for several moments, then suddenly released her hold, ducking down and tackling him. The unexpected tactic allowed her to carry Redpaw to the ground. She made quick work of pinning his legs and snapping her jaws down on his throat. He struggled for a few moments, then stilled, admitting his defeat.

     “Well done!” At the sound of her mentor's call, Shrewpaw immediately released her hold on Redpaw, backing up to allow the tom to rise to his paws.

     Annoyance was flickering in Redpaw's eyes as he stood. Shrewpaw knew he had to be smarting from his second defeat of the day. Though fierce pride was pulsing through her pelt, she managed to feel a brush of sympathy for her denmate. “Good fight,” she praised, giving him a friendly nudge with one paw.

     Redpaw hesitated a moment, then begrudgingly nodded to the she-cat, a friendly gleam returning to his eyes. “You too,” he grunted. Though the tom could be a bit sullen when beaten in training, and he was prone to jealousy when the other apprentices performed better than him, especially his brother, Shrewpaw still counted him as a friend. He could be fun to hang around on a good day, and he was brave and strong despite his faults, and fun to train with.

     As Redpaw padded back to his own mentor, Ratscar approached Shrewpaw, touching his nose to her ear and purring. “Very well done,” he praised. “You did well to plan out your attack, and to catch him off guard the way you did at the end. Later we can work on methods to counter that unbalancing move he used, but you really have gotten a lot better at thinking out your attacks, and you've gotten stronger. That was a good fight.”

     “Thank you, Ratscar,” Shrewpaw purred. Her mentor could be a bit flaky at times, and didn't always push Shrewpaw as hard at training as she wanted, but he was quick and clever, and good at giving instruction. Shrewpaw was glad to have his praise, and to know that he was proud of her progress.

     She started to pad back towards the other apprentices. As she passed her father and Russetfur, Blackstar caught her eye, dipping his head and murmuring, “You fought very well.” A thrill of pride fluttered in Shrewpaw's chest. Her tail was curled with delight as she returned to her seat beside Spiderpaw and Owlpaw. Redpaw had also returned to her spot beside Ivypaw, and was preening under the tortoiseshell's praise as they talked about the fight.

     Shrewpaw's good mood soured a little at the sight. Redpaw was a good friend and a fine apprentice, but she couldn't understand his fascination with the air-headed Ivypaw. She was more tolerable than her bossy sister, that was for sure, but she was still too soft and gentle to make much of a warrior, and her sweet mew and her sucking up to Redpaw could get grating after a while. Shrewpaw resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the pair and turned her attention back to the center of the clearing.

     Rowanclaw spoke from his spot at the edge of the clearing. “Spiderpaw, Ivypaw, you're up next.” Spiderpaw stiffened beside Shrewpaw, but after a moment, he rose to his paws. The tom wore an anxious expression as he faced off against his opponent.

     Unease fluttered in Shrewpaw's gut. “You can do it, Spiderpaw!” she called out as the gray tom stood across from Ivypaw. Her brother hadn't progressed as easily in his training as Shrewpaw, but she knew he could do it if he tried hard enough. She hoped that he would take the chance to prove himself in front of Blackstar and Russetfur today.

     The tom hesitated a few moments before lunging at Ivypaw. She side-stepped his attack, then whirled back on him, snapping her jaws down on the scruff of his neck. Spiderpaw yelped as he was flipped onto his back by a quick jerk of her muzzle. Shrewpaw flinched as Ivypaw made quick work of pinning her brother down. His paws battered weakly at her chest and belly, but he didn't seem to be putting much force behind his blows, as Ivypaw easily ignored them. He managed to twist around and nearly scrambled away from Ivypaw's grasp, but Ivypaw neatly swept his paws out from under him, sending him crashing back onto the ground. The tom struck out at her jaw, but she easily avoided the blow, ducking down to close her jaws around his throat. He struggled for a few moments more before falling still.

     Silence met the end of the bout. Most of the apprentices had been fairly evenly matched, or had at least made a real effort to beat their opponent. Spiderpaw's performance had been that of a clumsy kit. After a few moments, Rowanclaw called out in a strained mew, “Well done, both of you.” It was clear he was shocked by just how pathetic Spiderpaw's attempt to beat his apprentice had been. Horror and embarrassment were welling up in Shrewpaw's gut, and she could see that Spiderpaw was mortified as he slunk away to the edges of the clearing. Her brother had been pretty slow in his training so far, but that was the most pathetic attempt at fighting Shrewpaw had ever seen. Had she really failed to notice just how poorly Spiderpaw's training was coming along? How could he embarrass himself like that in front of their parents?

     Shrewpaw was rooted to the spot as she watched Snaketail stalk over to her brother. The tom's tail was lashing, and anger smoldered in his eyes. She couldn't hear the words he growled to Spiderpaw, but she could see her brother flinch from his mentor's criticism. Once Snaketail finished he slunk away to his spot beside Shrewpaw. His tail was tucked between his legs and his eyes cast down. Olivepaw and Ivypaw rose to their paws, heading to the center of the clearing for the next bout.

     “Great going, _Stumble_ paw,” Owlpaw sneered immediately upon Spiderpaw sitting between him and Shrewpaw. Redpaw said nothing, but cast a scornful glance towards Spiderpaw. “That was pathetic. But I guess maybe you _wanted_ your father to see how pathetic an apprentice you are?”

     Shrewpaw turned a glare towards her denmate. “Shut up, mousebrain!” she hissed. “Or you'll be digging fleas out of your pelt for the next moon.” Owlpaw snorted, but said nothing further, turning his attention back to the bout.

     “Thanks,” Spiderpaw murmured to his sister. Shrewpaw said nothing. She hadn't been willing to let her bully of a denmate mock her brother, but she couldn't ignore the fact that he had a point. What had Spiderpaw been thinking? He'd been training for as long as she had – how could he be doing this badly in training? Would her Clanmates think that her brother's failure to learn might somehow rub off on her? Embarrassment wriggled in her belly. She kept her gaze firmly on the bout in front of her, refusing to look back at her brother.

     After just a few more rounds, Rowanclaw announced that training was over for the day. “I think this has been a good chance for everyone to measure their progress, and figure out what they need to work on the most,” the tom announced. He was clearly trying to look at all of the apprentices equally as he spoke, but at one point his gaze flitted to Spiderpaw, who shrank back in embarrassment. “Tomorrow, we'll resume training as normal, but I think more group sessions like this can really help individual apprentices and mentors to learn from each other and figure out new ways to approach our training.”

     As everyone readied themselves to head back to camp, Blackstar spoke up. “I'd like to take my kits for a walk,” he announced. Ratscar mewed his consent immediately, while Snaketail just snorted, turning away and leaving his apprentice behind as the group headed away. Whitewater cast a concerned glance back towards her mate. Blackstar gave her a small nod, and she turned away, following her Clanmates back towards camp. In a few moments, the patrol had passed out of sight, leaving Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw alone with their father.

     Blackstar looked down at his kits in silence for a few moments, his expression unreadable. Then he blinked. “Come on,” he rumbled. “We can walk for a while before they'll expect us back at camp.” Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw fell in silently behind their father as he led them forward.

     Amber light spilled into the forest through the breaks between the trees. Shrewpaw could see the sun dipping down beyond the treeline, starting to inch towards the ground. Leafbare had given way to newleaf recently, and the warmth of the new season wove its way through Shrewpaw's pelt as she walked behind her father. She and Spiderpaw walked in tense silence behind their father, both too uneasy to break the silence first. Shrewpaw could no longer see her father's expression. What could he possibly be thinking after the performance he'd seen? Unease twisted her guts into knots, but still she stayed too silent, too anxious to speak up.

     After several moments, Blackstar finally spoke. “Do you have anything you'd like to say about training today, Spiderpaw?” His tone was even, betraying no emotion.

     Spiderpaw flattened his ears back, his pelt fluffed out uncomfortably. “Not really,” he murmured.

     Blackstar sighed. When he turned to face his kits, forcing them to halt in front of them, soft concern was glowing in his eyes. “I'm not angry with you, son,” he rumbled. He reached out his muzzle, rasping his tongue over Spiderpaw's head like he was a kit again. “I'm just concerned. I know you can do better than this.” He pulled his muzzle back, blinking softly at his son. “Is there something happening during training, something that's holding you back?”

     “I don't know,” Spiderpaw murmured. He seemed unwilling to meet Blackstar's eyes, to Shrewpaw's frustration. Didn't he realize how serious this was? If he kept going the way he was, he might never become a warrior.

     The massive leader was silent for a few moments. He seemed to be searching his son's expression, but whatever he was looking for, he didn't seem to find it. He sighed again. “I'll talk to Snaketail,” he mewed thoughtfully. “There must be a better way to approach your training, some way that can help you reach your full potential. Whatever it is, we'll find it.” He reached out with one paw, nudging Spiderpaw gently. “Don't worry, son,” he rumbled. “One failed training session doesn't mean anything in the long run. You're going to be a great warrior one day. I know that you can be a warrior to match any of them, if we can just get you on the right track. It's in your blood.”

     “Yeah,” Shrewpaw added. She tried to force cheer into her mew for her brother's sake, giving his shoulder a hearty nudge with her own. “We're the kits of the Clan leader and one of the strongest warriors! Most of our denmates aren't even pure ShadowClan – you'll be able to beat them in your sleep once you've trained enough!”

     Blackstar shook his head. “There's no need to talk about your denmates in that way,” he chided his daughter. However, there was a note of hesitation in his mew, as if he himself didn't even believe his own words. Blackstar had never openly accused his non-pure Clanmates of being lesser than the purebloods, but Shrewpaw had seen his disdain for those with mixed blood in the way he spoke about them or interacted with them, especially the stubborn Tawnypelt.

     The only non-Clanborn cat he seemed to have complete faith in was Russetfur. Shrewpaw had complained about the she-cat's bossiness in the past and questioned her right to be deputy, only to be completely shut down by her father. She didn't understand his strange faith in the cranky old she-cat. In her eyes, Russetfur was as entitled and bossy as Tawnypelt. She just hoped that one day, he would pick a less bossy cat to be deputy. She had hopes of holding the position herself one day, and she knew she could do a much better job than Russetfur. She just had to wait until she was old enough.

     After a moment, Blackstar added, “But she has a point. With enough training, I know you'll be able to be a match for any of your Clanmates. We'll make this work.” He touched his nose briefly to Spiderpaw's ear, giving a small purr. “It'll be alright, I promise.”

     Spiderpaw hesitated, emotion sparking in his eyes. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something. Then he sighed. “Thank you, father,” he murmured. He bumped his muzzle against Blackstar's, giving a weak purr.

     Blackstar closed his eyes, purring as he leaned his cheek against his son's head, then he pulled back. “I promised Russetfur I'd lead a hunting patrol around sunset,” he informed his kits. “They'll be waiting for me back at camp. Are you coming back with me?”

     “Actually, I think we'll stay out to hunt for a while,” Shrewpaw answered before Spiderpaw could speak. “We might as well get something done before getting back to camp.” _And we might as well make up for Spiderpaw's sorry performance before heading back,_ she added silently. Maybe her Clanmates might be less inclined to mock her brother for his poor performance at training if he came back carrying prey for them.

     The leader dipped his head. “Very well. I'll see you later tonight, then.” He turned and began padding away, soon disappearing into the undergrowth.

     Shrewpaw waited until he was out of earshot before turning to Spiderpaw. “He's right, you know,” she mewed. She hadn't wanted to speak in front of their Clanmates, not wanting to embarrass Spiderpaw further, but she couldn't hold back now. “You can be a great warrior. But you have to try harder, Spiderpaw! You'll never get to be a warrior if you keep turning in performances like that!”

     Spiderpaw flinched away from his sister's words. “I know,” he murmured.

     Shrewpaw glared at her brother a moment longer before softening. He just looked so sad and pathetic, she couldn't stay annoyed at him for long. “Well, it's not the end of the world,” she sniffed. “You can catch up in training, no doubt about it. You just have to work really hard.” She tipped her head, looking at her brother curiously. “Would you like me to work with you at some point? I bet we can speed up your progress if we work together.

     “I... I don't know,” Spiderpaw mewed. That emotion was sparking in his eyes again, and his tail was trembling in an odd way. “Shrewpaw, I don't... I mean, I'm not sure... I just don't like to fight too much, you know?” He ducked his head, looking down at his night-black paws. “I don't want to hurt anyone.”

     Shrewpaw snorted. “It's just training, mousebrain,” she reminded him. “No one's going to get hurt. Especially not if you're fighting like you did today.”

     “I know, but in a real battle...”

     Irritation pricked at Shrewpaw's pelt again. “Stop being mouse-brained,” she chided her brother. “Warriors fight, it's what we're here for. And you'll be a great fighter. You just have to work at it.” Before Spiderpaw could protest again, Shrewpaw turned briskly away, trotting off towards the undergrowth. “Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “We won't get any hunting done standing around and chatting like this.” Spiderpaw hesitated, then followed after his sister, letting her lead him off into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a month since I posted the first chapter, but I did warn you guys that this one might go a bit slower. I have an original project that I'm working on that takes first priority, so this only gets worked on when I'm not working on that. On top of that, my job ended recently, and I've been a bit forgetful and slow to keep up with my online stuff in general since that happened, so that hasn't helped. A week or two ago, I was in the mood to work on this again, so I wrote about the first two thirds of this chapter, but kinda lost motivation, and I had other stuff to work on. However, with River of Fire being released, I was kicked firmly back into warrior mode, and finally finished this chapter up. ^^ So here it is.
> 
> Also, I won't spoil River of Fire for anyone who hasn't read it, don't worry. I'll just say that there's things I liked a lot about the book, but also a few things that bother me. I wrote up a review for the book, which will hopefully get posted as an article on BlogClan soon, and I'll post it here as well. ^^ There is another coincidental connection to an event in EOTW in RoF, but it's sort of a small one this time.
> 
> Anyway, back to this book. :P Here we have a three-moon timeskip, and we get to see Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw in a group training session. Shrewpaw does well, but Spiderpaw struggles to meet expectations, to Shrewpaw's dismay. I had some trouble getting the training session to sound the way I wanted, but I think it turned out pretty well in the end. ^^ As well as Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw and their mentors, we get to see the other ShadowClan apprentices and their mentors. For anyone confused, Olivepaw and Ivypaw are halfClan in the EOTW 'verse because their father is Boulder, the ShadowClan warrior who was born a BloodClan cat. Redpaw and Owlpaw aren't pure ShadowClan because their father's father is Nightwhisper, the loner who Tigerstar recruited into ShadowClan as a warrior.
> 
> It was interesting writing all of the apprentices together and showing their relationships with their mentors and with each other. Olivepaw and Ivypaw being apprenticed late because of malnutrition was my attempt to explain why they were made warriors so late if they were born before the Clans left the forest. A lot of the ShadowClan apprentices seem to have taken a long time to become warriors, which I'll try to address later. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed their interactions.
> 
> The next chapter might take a while to come out, I've got my original project to work on, and job applications to fill out, and a schedule to try and adjust to so I can stop feeling so restless and anxious about not having a set schedule in my life anymore. :P But I'll get it written at some point.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shrewpaw struggles to keep up, even though the day has only just started

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Three

     The sun was barely rising over the tree tops, but Shrewpaw was already panting with the effort of following Ratscar through the sparse undergrowth. Ratscar kept sneaking glances back at her. Even though he was clearly trying to hide it, concern was glowing in his eyes. “Are you sure you're alright?” he asked.

     Shrewpaw clenched her jaw. “I'm fine,” she hissed through her teeth. Ratscar didn't seem convinced, but didn't ask again. He simply slowed their pace as they headed through the forest.

     Another moon had passed in Shrewpaw's training. She was stronger and sleeker now, nearly as tall as Ratscar and the other warriors, and her hunting and fighting had both improved. But she felt none of that newfound strength now. Instead, her legs were shaking underneath of her, and she felt like claws had been dragged over her throat, making every breath ache.

     A few days ago, Shrewpaw had come down with a cold, and had been given some tansy by Littlecloud to clear it up. She had assumed that she'd feel better after enough time, and had eventually convinced herself that she felt alright enough to start her training again. That morning, she'd managed to drag Ratscar out of camp before Littlecloud had a chance to check on her, and had convinced her that she felt fine and was ready to train once more. She'd started out feeling alright, but as the morning wore on, the feeling of sickness swiftly returned. Claws seems to drag across her throat with every breath she took. She'd been sick for days – she should be better by now, shouldn't she? Maybe she was just imagining things. _If I want to be a warrior, I can't let every little cold hold me back,_ she told herself firmly. _I have to keep going._

     Ratscar led his charge to a small clearing before coming to a halt. He circled around to face Shrewpaw. Worry was still glowing in his eyes, but he managed to keep his tone even as he mewed, “I figured that we could start slow. It's a nice day for hunting, so let's start there. This looks like a good spot for prey. Can you scent anything?”

     Shrewpaw bit back the irritated reply that had sprang to her tongue. Ratscar was talking to her like she was a kit with no training, not an experienced apprentice. Just because she was sick didn't mean she was mouse-brained. “Give me a second,” she grumbled. She lifted her muzzle, sniffing at the air, but her nose was still clogged. All she could smell was her own sick-stench. She hesitated, not wanting to admit her failure, but a nearby rustling caught her ears before she could speak. Her ears swiveled around to follow the sound. Even through her haziness and exhaustion, the she-cat could still pick up the tell-tale sounds of a lizard moving through the leaf litter.

     “Over there,” she hissed, gesturing sharply with her tail. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to StarClan that she'd been able to cover up her failure to scent out her prey in time.

     Ratscar turned to look where she had gestured. He hesitated, then gave an approving nod. “Alright. Show me the best way to catch it,” he encouraged.

     His overly-encouraging tone still grated at Shrewpaw's ears, but she managed to ignore him. The apprentice dropped down into a crouch. Her ears were ringing and her chest felt like it was closing in on itself, but she forced herself to keep stalking forward, slinking closer and closer towards her prey with every step. She could see it now, a little brown thing, scurrying about over the fallen leaves on the forest floor. _Just a little closer..._

     When the moment was right, Shrewpaw sprang at the lizard, lunging at it with claws extended. But her pounce didn't have nearly enough power behind it. While she stumbled forward awkwardly, the lizard was free to scurry away, looking insultingly unconcerned about his near brush with death. Ratscar hurried to her side once the lizard was gone. His tone one of forced cheer as he mewed, “That's alright. I'm sure you'll get the next one!”

     Shrewpaw opened her jaws to reply, but nothing came out. It was like her throat had closed up. She couldn't breathe. Her trembling legs collapsed, sending the she-cat falling forward onto her chest. Ratscar stiffened. “Shrewpaw?” She couldn't reply. “Shrewpaw!” The tom crouched beside her, fear glowing in his eyes as he sniffed her pelt all over. The she-cat was shaking now, exhaustion and pain and unease all pulsing throughout her pelt. All she could manage now was short, wheezing breaths, each one like the stab of claws in her throat and chest.

     “That's it,” Ratscar growled. “We're going to back to camp right now.” Shrewpaw tried to protest, but all that escaped her was coughing, so fierce that it shook her whole body. Ratscar pushed his muzzle under the she-cat, quickly slithering his body underneath of hers, then lifted himself up with the apprentice draped across his back. Shrewpaw was too weak to do anything but lay limply against his back. The tom swayed for a moment, clearly struggling with the heavy load on his back, before taking a firmer stance. “Hold on, Shrewpaw,” he muttered, shifting so that Shrewpaw was better positioned on his back. “I'll get you home. You'll be fine.”

     Shrewpaw didn't even bother trying to protest anymore. Though breathing was coming easier now, that terrible, aching pain was still coursing through her pelt, and that cough continued to rattle in her chest. Exhaustion had finally overcome her stubbornness. She closed her eyes, hardly aware of Ratscar as he took off at an awkward, jerking trot, the speed making her bump and shift uncomfortably on his back. She'd started out the morning so determined to prove she could still train, but now, she was too worn out to care.

     She was barely awake by the time Ratscar carried her into camp. Cries of shock and fear rang out around her, buzzing uncomfortably in her ears. The sounds became muted as she was carried off into one of the dens. There was the sensation of being lowered, then there was soft sand and pine needles underneath her instead of the bony back of her mentor. She fluttered her eyes open.

     The first thing she saw was Littlecloud crouched beside her. His expression was soft with pity, but there was a focused light to his blue eyes, something determined in the brisk movement of his paws as he ran them over Shrewpaw's chest and back. She was able to recognize the woven brambles that made up the walls of the medicine den all around her. Ratscar was a few paces away, and just outside of the den, Shrewpaw could see the horrified face of Blackstar. He tried to push once inside of the den, but Russetfur cut him off. She hissed something at the tom that Shrewpaw couldn't hear. Blackstar hesitated. Then, after a moment, he backed slowly away from the den.

     “Is she alright?” Ratscar was asking Littlecloud. “Please tell me she'll be alright! She looked tired this morning, but I thought she'd be alright, she said she was fine. Oh, I should have never let her talk me into letting her out of camp!”

     Even through Ratscar's panicked ramblings, Littlecloud retained his expression of focused calm. “Patience, Ratscar,” the small tom mewed. “I need to work out what's happening here. Has she been coughing up anything?”

     “Not that I've seen,” Ratscar admitted.

     Littlecloud nodded slowly. He turned back to his patient, murmuring, “Shrewpaw, I'm going to need you to turn onto your side.” Shrewpaw nodded briefly, still not trusting her throat enough to speak. She rolled onto her side as requested. Littlecloud crouched beside her, pressing one paw and his cheek against her chest, his ear flat against her chest fur as he seemed to listen to something. “I need you to take in a deep breath,” he instructed the apprentice. Shrewpaw obeyed, hating the rattling sound from her own throat as she did, and the feeling of stone being scraped against her throat.

     New fear glowed in Ratscar's eyes. “It's... it's not greencough, is it?” he breathed.

     “No, I don't think so,” Littlecloud murmured. “I don't think she's that badly ill, just exhausted.” He paused, then straightened to his full height, giving a small shake of his pelt. “There's more I can check later, but for now, what Shrewpaw needs most is rest.” The small tom retreated into the back of his den, then returned with a pawful of small, black seeds. “Shrewpaw, I need you to eat a few of these,” he mewed in a low, soothing tone. “They'll help you sleep.”

     Shrewpaw shifted in her nest, reaching her muzzle out and licking up a few of the seeds Littlecloud set in front of her. It didn't take long for them to take effect. A warm, drowsy feeling began to spread all over her pelt. Within moments, her eyes were too heavy to keep open, and a comforting blackness was washing over her vision. Only a few moments later, she was asleep.

**SCENEBREAK**

     The first thing Shrewpaw was aware of when she woke up was the warmth of the sun on her pelt. Slowly, she began to open her eyes. She was still laid out on the pine-needle floor of the medicine den, though it seemed she'd since been moved onto a moss nest, but the light in the den was different now. Rather than the pale golden light of morning, the full light of mid-day was blasting into the den. Shrewpaw stiffened in shock.

     “Oh good, you're awake. “ Shrewpaw lifted her head to see Littlecloud towards the back of the den, sorting through a pile of leaves with one paw. The tom rose to his paws, padding towards the apprentice. “How are you feeling now?”

     Shrewpaw grunted as she shifted onto her belly. The aching in her pelt was less, and breathing was easier now, but there was still a raw feeling in her chest and throat. “Better, I guess,” she mewed. “More awake anyway.”

     “Glad to hear it.” Littlecloud mewed. He reached for something behind him, then turned back towards Shrewpaw. At his paws was a gooey mix of leaves and petals, mixed together with a glossy, golden liquid. “This is coltsfoot and tansy mixed together with honey,” he told her. “Eat it. It should help with your cough and sore throat.”

     The apprentice hesitated, then reached her muzzle out, licking up the mushy mix of herbs and honey. There was an unpleasant, gooey sensation as the herb mix stuck to the roof of her mouth and in her throat, but after a few moments, she had swallowed it all. Littlecloud passed her a ball of water-soaked moss, which she drank from greedily to wash down the taste. He waited until she was done to pull away the moss. “Just give that a little while to set in. I'll have you take a mix of that every day or so while you're recovering. It should help a lot with the coughing.”

     “Thank you,” Shrewpaw rasped. Her throat already felt less dry, and she could feel an easing in her chest, even if there was still discomfort there. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Now that she'd been awake for a while, she could feel alertness setting back in. “How long have I been asleep?” she asked.

     “Most of the morning.” Littlecloud watched the apprentice with a patient expression as he spoke. “And it's a good thing too. You're going to need your rest for a while.”

     Fear clenched in Shrewpaw's gut. “Why?” she asked. “What's wrong with me?” Frustration pricked at her pelt. “All I had was a cold. I should be better by now, shouldn't I?”

     Littlecloud shook his head. “Not necessarily,” he said in a soft mew. “What you have now is something we call longcough. It happens sometimes after a cat has a cold. Most of the symptoms go away about when you'd expect, but the cough and the aching linger for days, sometimes a moon or so, after the cold itself has gone.

     Shock coursed through Shrewpaw's pelt. “A _moon?_ ” she repeated in an outraged yowl. Forgetting her own weariness, she scrambled to her paws, staring at Littlecloud with wide eyes. “I can't be sick for a _moon_. I have training!”

     Littlecloud met the horrified yowling of his patient with a calm expression. “I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about that. Your training will have to wait.”

     Horror clutched at Shrewpaw's chest. “Isn't there something you can give me?” she begged the small tom. “Some leaf or berry or something that'll make the coughing go away?”

     “It's not that easy,” Littlecloud explained. “There's no cure for longcough. It's not a dangerous illness, as long as you don't push yourself too hard. All you can do is take the herbs I give you that can ease the cough a little, and rest so that your body can heal.”

     Fear was starting to make her tail tremble. “Please,” she rasped. “I can't be out of training for that long. I only have two more moons until I'm ready to be a warrior. I have to finish my training! I can't fall behind! There has to be something that will let me keep training!”

     There was sympathy in Littlecloud's gaze, but his mew was firm as he told her, “I'm sorry. But if you try to push yourself while you have longcough, then you're only going to make yourself worse. I'm going to need you to stay in camp for at least the next half-moon, maybe longer if the cough doesn't go away. If you push yourself, you're going to have trouble with being able to breathe, like what happened today. I'm not going to let you risk that. Your training can wait.”

     Shrewpaw gaped at the tom. Desperation was clawing at her gut. She couldn't fall behind in her training. Not now, not when she was so _close!_ She tried to find the words to argue with him further, but a further bout of coughing broke off her words. Littlecloud watched patiently as her entire body shook with the force of her coughing. When coughs stopped forcing their way through her throat, Shrewpaw was left panting, her throat raw and aching as she stared up at Littlecloud.

     Patiently, the tom turned back to his stores of herbs, then returned with a moss ball soaked in honey. “Sip at this whenever your throat hurts too badly,” he instructed her. “I'll send the apprentices out to get some more – I'm sure they'll love a tussle with some bees.” Mirth danced in his eyes for a moment, before it faded back into a look of calm focus. He rose to his paws. “I'm going out to collect herbs now, I'm going to need more tansy with you in the den, and I'm running low on catchweed and horsetail.” He started towards the den's entrance, glancing back briefly at Shrewpaw. “I've asked your mother to keep an eye on you while I'm out. Don't try leaving the den today. Just stay in, and try to get some rest.”

     Littlecloud padded out of the den, leaving Shrewpaw alone with her panic. A few moments later, Whitewater pushed through the bramble entrance to the den, a water vole hanging from her jaws. Her one good eye was glowing with concern. She set the vole by her paws. “Littlecloud told your father and I that you have longcough. How are you feeling?”

     Panic was still battering around in Shrewpaw's chest, but she managed to rasp out a quick, “Fine.” Whitewater came to sit in front of her daughter, so Shrewpaw sat as well, pulling her tail tight around her paws. “Where is my father, anyway?”

     “Blackstar is out on a patrol right now,” Whitewater explained. “He wanted to stay and wait for you to wake up, but Russetfur insisted. She said he'd just be stepping on Littlecloud's tail if stayed in camp and kept asking how you were.”

     Shrewpaw snorted. “Interfering old tabby,” she grumbled. “What right does she have to tell her leader that he can't stay in camp to look after his daughter?”

     Whitewater narrowed her eyes. “There's no reason to speak about your deputy that way,” she said in a stern mew. “And don't worry. Blackstar should be back pretty soon.” She pushed the water vole towards Shrewpaw with one paw, adding, “Anyway, I thought you might be hungry after sleeping so long. I figured we could share this.”

     Shrewpaw murmured her agreement. The pair settled onto the pine-needle floor of the medicine den, splitting the water vole between themselves. Unease was sitting hard in her gut even as she ate. Once she was done, she settled into a crouch, tucking her paws under her and ducking her head. “Littlecloud says I can't train,” she muttered, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to meet her mother's gaze. Her tail was lashing irritably behind her, and annoyance was pricking at her paws, but a deep sense of worry was overwhelming every other feeling.

     There was a pause. Then Whitewater spoke in an stern tone. “Of course not,” she mewed. “You're too sick to train.”

     “But I can't fall behind in training!” Shrewpaw gasped out. The panic she'd been feeling earlier crashed over her again like a wave, leaving her trembling with the force of it. She looked up at her mother with eyes wild with fear. “I'm so close to being a warrior, Whitewater! I've put _everything_ I have into training to be the strongest warrior ShadowClan's ever seen. It can't have all been for nothing!”

     Alarm flashed in Whitewater's good eye. “Slow down,” she murmured, tipping her head curiously. “Your training is being delayed, yes, but not forever. You'll become a warrior one day, there's no question of that. It's just a matter of waiting until you're well enough to resume your training.”

     “But I'll fall so far behind if I can't practice!” Shrewpaw protested. “All of my denmates could become warriors before me. How can I ever be a great warrior if it takes me so long to earn my name?” She clenched her jaw, hating the kit-like tremor in her mew. Weariness from the illness, combined with the shock of her training being delayed, was making her emotional. A long suppressed fear of failure, of never being able to match up to the expectations of her Clanmates, to never be the great warrior she had always dreamed of, was raging at full force in her heart now. “I don't want to be the cat everyone remembers because she took so long to complete her training, so it must mean she's not a great warrior, not strong or smart enough to earn her name on time.”

     Whitewater's expression softened. “Oh, Shrewpaw,” she murmured. The she-cat rose to her paws, approaching Shrewpaw and curling herself around the smaller cat. Shrewpaw crumpled against her mother's embrace. She buried her face in Whitewater's pelt, shaking with emotion as Whitewater pulled her tighter, closer to her. The half-blind warrior rasped her tongue over Shrewpaw's head, murmuring soothing words to her and brushing her tail comfortingly over Shrewpaw's pelt.

     “It doesn't matter how long your training takes, Shrewpaw,” Whitewater murmured as she held her trembling daughter. “I know you too well for that. Once your training is done, whenever that it, however long that takes, _no_ one will be able to see you as any less of a warrior because of it. You will be such a great warrior that no one will ever be able to doubt you.” She pressed her muzzle against Shrewpaw's head, purring deeply. “I know my own daughter, and I know that you will never let anything hold you back, not even this. You just have to be patient. Your time will come.”

     Shrewpaw pulled back her muzzle, something warm sitting in her chest from her mother's praise. “Thank you,” she rasped. She fluffed out her pelt and gave it a brisk shake, trying to cover up the ridiculous fear she'd just betrayed. _Come on,_ a voice growled in her head. _If you're going to be a great warrior, you can't act like some scared little kit at every hint of failure. Toughen up!_ “That really means a lot, Mother.”

     “I'm just saying what I know is true,” Whitewater mewed. There was a blazing warmth glowing in her one blue eye, a love too strong and too fierce for Shrewpaw to comprehend. Whitewater reached out her muzzle, giving Shrewpaw one last lick between her ears, before pulling back again.

     Before Shrewpaw could reply, nearby pawsteps alerted her, and soon there were three familiar toms pushing their way into the medicine den. “Shrewpaw! You're awake!” Blackstar was at his daughter's side in moments, rubbing his muzzle against her cheek and purring his relief. Ratscar was just behind him, eyes glowing with joy, while Spiderpaw hung back with a concerned expression.

     “Yeah, I'm awake,” Shrewpaw mewed. She pushed her father's muzzle away with one paw. While his concern was sweet, he wasn't usually this overbearing and emotional, and she hardly wanted to be seen with her father fussing over her like a kit in front of her other Clanmates. Embarrassment from her emotional outburst earlier was still hot under her pelt. She didn't want every cat thinking she was being a scared little kit over an illness. “I'm fine, Blackstar, honestly. I bet I could hunt just fine if I wanted to.”

     Fear flashed in Blackstar's eyes. “Absolutely not,” he rumbled, his eyes narrowing. “If Littlecloud says you need to stay in this den and heal, then that's what you're going to do. You'll start your training again when Littlecloud says it's alright, and not a moment sooner.”

     Shrewpaw suppressed a groan. The faint hope she'd had of her father overruling Littlecloud's orders was quickly extinguished. “Yes, Blackstar,” she muttered.

     Something softened in her father's expression. He reached out his muzzle and touched it to her ear. In a voice too low for Ratscar and Spiderpaw to hear, he murmured, “I'm not trying to punish you, Shrewpaw,” he murmured. “I'm doing this because I love you. I don't want to lose you.”

     Shrewpaw fought back an impatient sigh. “Don't be dramatic,” she chided her father. “You're not going to lose me.” When he opened his jaws to argue with her, she cut him off with a quick, “Fine, fine, I'll stay in the medicine den. But I can't promise that I won't die of boredom in here first.”

     Blackstar snorted. “I'm sure you'll be fine,” he rumbled.

     “Don't worry, I won't let you be bored!” Ratscar assured her. He padded towards her, giving an eager flick of his tail. “I'll come and visit every day while you're stuck in here. You can't train, but we can talk and hang out. And once you're better, I promise, we'll pick up right where we left off. You'll still be a warrior in no time!”

     Shrewpaw cast a grateful glance at her mentor. While his enthusiasm was a bit embarrassing for a cat of his age, and she didn't want him to think she needed a kitsitter while she was sick, she did appreciate the sentiment. “Thanks, Ratscar,” she mewed. “I look forward to it.”

     Spiderpaw had been hanging back behind Blackstar so far, but now he padded towards his sister, touching his nose to her ear. “I'll visit every day too,” he murmured. Concern for his sister was glowing in his eyes. “I promise. I'll bring you prey and I'll clean out your moss, whatever you need. I just, I want to help. It can't be easy being stuck in here.”

     Something tightened in Shrewpaw's gut. She appreciated her brother's sympathy and willingness to help, but for the first time, she felt something like jealousy pricking at her pelt. While she was stuck in the medicine den, her brother would be continuing his training. He'd advance in his hunting and fighting, he'd have the praise of his leader, and eventually, he would earn his warrior name. All while she was left behind. It wasn't Spiderpaw's fault, she knew that of course, but she couldn't stop the prickling feeling of jealousy in the back of her mind.

     She gave a strained purr. “Thank you, Spiderpaw.” Even with her family all around her, promising their support of her, all she could feel was fear of what the next moon would mean for her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this chapter done a little quicker than I meant to, considering there's other stuff I wanted to work on first. But after reading River of Fire, I've been in kind of a Warriors mood, and I was in a big writing mood the other night *coughatfiveinthemorningcough*, so I decided to get some of this done. And now the whole thing is done. :P Oops. Oh well, at least you guys get another chapter, and it's a long one. ^^
> 
> So now we get to see a big part of why Shrewpaw took so long to get her warrior name. Her longcough is based on bronchitis, I tried to write the symptoms accurately, but if something is off, oh well.
> 
> It is a bit sad writing scenes like this, with her Clanmates looking out for her and caring for her and her family loving her. Considering what happens in the rest of EOTW, it's just very bittersweet. Shrewpaw isn't entirely the cat she becomes later yet, so I feel a bit bad for her, but anyone who's read the rest of EOTW knows where this all ends, and those were all her own choices.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter might take a while, as there's other stuff I need to work on, but we'll see.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two moons later...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Four

     “Wake up, Shrewpaw!”

     The apprentice groaned. She turned onto one side, trying to curl into a tighter ball, but a paw nudged firmly at her side. “Come on. You can’t sleep the day away.” Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

     She was still in the medicine den, the bramble branches still blocking out the sun overhead, still laying on a nest of moss and pine needles. Littlecloud was standing over her, a bundle of freshly-picked herbs in his jaws. “Good, you’re up,” he mewed. He set the herbs at his paws, nudging them towards the apprentice. “You can get started on sorting these then. When you’re done, you can meet up with Ratscar.”

     Shrewpaw fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, Littlecloud,” she mewed. She pushed herself onto her haunches, pulling the herbs closer to her. The apprentice began sorting the leaves by type, organizing them into neat piles to be sorted into Littlecloud’s stores when she was done. The work was easy, but tedious, and she soon found her mind wandering.

     Two moons had passed since she had initially fallen ill. Even though all of her other symptoms had long since faded, Littlecloud had insisted on keeping her from her training because of her cough, which had refused to go away. Shrewpaw had begged and pleaded with the medicine cat, using every argument she could think of, but the little tom had refused to budge on the issue. When Shrewpaw had complained of boredom from not being able to train, Littlecloud had suggested she help him sort herbs. It was something to keep her mind occupied, and while it was boring and annoying and had nothing to do with becoming a great warrior, she supposed it was better than sitting around doing nothing. It still infuriated her to think that she was stuck in the medicine den sorting leaves when she could be out training to be a warrior. Her cough wasn’t even that bad anymore. Littlecloud had promised she could return to training soon, but soon wasn’t good enough for her. Not when her denmates were already leaving her behind.

     Shrewpaw caught a glimpse of a familiar tortoiseshell pelt through the branches of the bramble bush. Ivytail was following a patrol into camp, a lapwing hanging from her jaws. Annoyance pricked at Shrewpaw’s pelt. Ivytail and Olivenose had earned their warrior names a few moons ago, having completed their warrior assessments. The she-cats has been annoyingly smug during the ceremony, and now they were able to order around the apprentices and serve their Clan like real warriors, while Shrewpaw was left to rot in the medicine den.

     “Careful with those leaves!” Littlecloud’s mew broke Shrewpaw out of her thoughts.

     She looked down to see that she had been tearing some of the leaves in the wrong spot when she hadn’t been paying attention. Embarrassment warmed under her pelt. “Sorry, Littlecloud,” she muttered. She set the damaged leaves to one side, then started again with the fresh pile, careful to make sure she nipped the leaves at the right point.

     The two worked in silence for a while longer. Though Shrewpaw was now trying to pay attention to what she was doing, her annoyance bled through in the twitching of her tail and the prickling of her pelt. Finally, Littlecloud sighed. “That's enough,” he murmured, glancing at Shrewpaw. “I can handle the rest from here. You should go find Ratscar and see if there's anything he wants you to work on.”

     Shrewpaw perked up. “Yes, Littlecloud,” she mewed. While she was grateful to the tom for putting up with her for the last two moons, she couldn't pretend that she wasn't bored stiff whenever she was in the medicine den. Any chance at escape was welcome. “Thank you!” She set the last of the leaves aside, then rose to her paws, trotting towards the den's entrance.

     The camp was bustling with activity as she stepped out of the medicine den. Some of the early patrols had just returned, and cats were swapping greetings and dropping off prey before the next round of patrols left. Shrewpaw felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of cats readying themselves to head into the forest, but she forced it back. A quick scan of the crowd allowed her to spot Ratscar talking with a group of warriors. She left the medicine den behind and trotted towards her mentor. “Ratscar!” she called out.

     The brown tom looked up at his apprentice's call. “Shrewpaw! Good to see you're up.” He purred as he touched noses with Shrewpaw. The apprentice stood as tall as her mentor now, with the sleek build and muscle of a warrior. But the cough that tore its way past her throat reminded her of how far she still was from being a warrior. Ratscar's eyes lit up with concern as she coughed. “Are you alright?” Shrewpaw noticed Spiderpaw among the group Ratscar had been speaking with, his mentor Snaketail beside him. Concern was glowing in his eyes.

     “I'm fine,” Shrewpaw grumbled. The coughing had been short this time, at least, and it was getting farther and farther between each bout. She really was almost better this time. She gave a brief shake of her pelt, then pressed on before Ratscar could fuss over her more. “I was hoping we could work on some more stretches?” Ratscar had helped devise some stretches and exercises Shrewpaw could do while she was sick. While it wasn't enough to make up her missing training, it did keep her from getting completely out of shape the last few moons, and it was something to work on that wasn't too draining while she was sick. She glanced at Spiderpaw, mewing, “You can come with us too if you want.” While she still felt jealous about her brother moving forward in his training while she stayed behind, he had kept to his word, visiting her often in the medicine den and helping her and Ratscar out with devising exercises to keep her from getting bored.

     Spiderpaw hesitated. “Well, actually...”

     “He can't,” Snaketail grunted. His eyes were narrowed as he regarded Shrewpaw.

     Shrewpaw's tail lashed behind her. “Why not?” she demanded.

     Before Snaketail could answer, Ratscar interrupted him, mewing, “Haven't you heard the news?”

     “What news?”

     “Spiderpaw passed his final warrior assessment this morning!” Ratscar purred. He glanced briefly at the gray apprentice, his tail flicking in a friendly manner. “Blackstar's holding his warrior ceremony this evening!”

     Shrewpaw froze. Ratscar's words jumbled together in her mind, blurring together so she couldn't understand them. Spiderpaw was going to be a warrior – and she wasn't. Spiderpaw was going to be a warrior _before_ her. _Spiderpaw_ , who'd fallen behind her every step of the way in training, who'd hesitated in every task he'd ever been given, who'd embarrassed himself in front of their father with the worst fighting Shrewpaw had ever seen – _he_ was going to be a warrior before Shrewpaw? Shock and confusion and hurt were twisting together in Shrewpaw's gut. It took her a few moments to manage to stammer out a brief “Congratulations,” to her brother.

     Spiderpaw seemed to guess at his sister's thoughts. Unease was glowing in his eyes, which mixed with sympathy as he looked at his sister, and his tail was twitching behind him. He opened his mouth as though to say something, but he was cut off by Snaketail's grunt. “We should get going.” The tom glanced at his apprentice, mewing, “We're due for a hunting patrol. Come on.” Snaketail turned and padded abruptly away.

     The apprentice hesitated, glancing briefly at Shrewpaw. He looked as though he were going to say something, then he stopped, looking at where Snaketail had gone. “I'm sorry,” he murmured. “I have to go. See you later.” With a final glance at his sister, he turned and scurried off after his mentor.

     Shrewpaw stared after her brother, too stunned to protest. When she finally managed to wrench her gaze away from where he'd gone, she turned to her mentor, her tail and hackles bristling with emotion. “How did he pass his assessment?” she blurted out. “He's never been good at training!” She hated to insult her brother, but her hurt at being left behind was too great to ignore.

     Ratscar looked surprised at his apprentice's outburst. “Well, he wasn't exactly flawless in the fighting portion of the assessment,” he admitted, watching his apprentice with concern. “And Snaketail wasn't totally convinced he was ready. But I helped him with the assessment, and Spiderpaw's shown a lot of improvement with hunting and agility in general, even if he isn't the strongest fighter. Your father and I talked about it, and he agreed that Spiderpaw's ready to be a warrior.” He paused, then his expression softened. “And you will be too soon, no doubt about it!” he rushed to assure his apprentice. “As soon as we get you back into training, you'll be ready to be a warrior before you know it. Just wait and see. It won't be long now.”

     Shrewpaw gave a weak purr of thanks, but her heart still wasn't in it. She could still feel hurt twisting in her gut. Ratscar seemed to sense her unease. He nudged her heartily with his shoulder, mewing a bit too brightly, “Come on! We have stretching to get to!” Shrewpaw hesitated, then let her mentor lead her away. But even as she followed him, she could feel dejection weighing down her pelt. Tonight, her brother was going to become a warrior – and she was going to be watching from the crowd, still an apprentice. Still left behind. And there wasn't anything that she could do about it.

**SCENEBREAK**

     After their stretching, Shrewpaw left her mentor and retreated into the medicine den for the rest of the day. While normally she hated being cooped up in the den, she couldn't bring herself to face her Clanmates at the moment, knowing that they knew about Spiderpaw becoming a warrior and her not. Littlecloud left her alone towards the end of the day to gather more herbs in the forest. Shrewpaw spent her time alone in the den sorting herbs for Littlecloud and tidying up the nests.

     It was nearly time for Spiderpaw's ceremony when another cat padded into the den. Shrewpaw was turned away from the entrance, busy replacing the moss in Littlecloud's nest. She didn't bother to look up at the sound of pawsteps, simply assuming the medicine cat had returned. “I hope you found enough comfrey root,” she called without looking up. “Cedarheart's been talking Tallpoppy's ear off complaining about his stiff joints, and she came in earlier to complain to me about it.”

     “Hello, Shrewpaw.” The apprentice stiffened in surprise. She whirled around to see a familiar tortoiseshell standing behind her.

     Annoyance pricked at her pelt. “Hello, Olivenose,” she greeted in a stiff mew.

     The new warrior stood in the entrance of the medicine den, regarding Shrewpaw with an almost wary air. Shrewpaw had never considered the bossy tortoiseshell a friend, and she knew Olivenose probably felt the same way, considering how often she chided Shrewpaw for being judgmental and rude. There was an awkward silence between the she-cats for a few moments. Finally, Olivenose cleared her throat. “I heard about Spiderpaw becoming a warrior,” she mewed. “That's great news.”

     A hard lump formed in Shrewpaw's throat. “Right,” she muttered. “Great news.” She suddenly couldn't meet Olivenose's gaze anymore. She turned away, mewing briskly, “If you don't mind, I'm busy.”

     “Wait.” Shrewpaw hesitated, then reluctantly turned back to face Olivenose. She was surprised by the sympathy in the tortoiseshell's expression. “I just wanted to talk. I know we haven't always been great friends –”

     “No kidding,” Shrewpaw muttered. The tortoiseshell's awkward attempts at being friendly were making her uneasy, and she hardly needed the tortoiseshell lording her moral superiority over her on the day her brother was going to become a warrior. She turned a little away from the warrior, hoping to make her uncomfortable and leave, but she pressed on.

     “I know,” Olivenose mewed. “But that doesn't mean I was happy when you became sick. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about what's happened. I know what it's like, being held back from your training because of something you can't control. I know how frustrating that is. I just wanted to say, I understand what you're going through, and I'm here to talk if you want.”

     Something in Shrewpaw snapped at the tortoiseshell's words. She whirled on Olivenose, snarling, “Oh, you _understand,_ do you?” Olivenose took a step back, looking alarmed at the apprentice's sudden burst of anger. “What, did you have to sit useless in the medicine den for two moons and watch everyone else move on around you? Did you have to watch while your littermate was made a warrior, knowing you still had moons to go until you became one too?” Olivenose stared at Shrewpaw, apparently too stunned to try and respond. Shrewpaw watched her for a few moments, feeling anger pulsing through her pelt. “No? Then don't tell me that you _understand_ what I'm going through, because you don't! You're just a half-warrior trying to prove yourself, but I'm gonna be a _real_ warrior once I've finished my training. So just go!”

     Olivenose had started out looking stunned, but at Shrewpaw's last words, hard anger suddenly blazed in her eyes. “I see,” she hissed in a freezing tone. “Well, sorry for taking up your time. StarClan knows a pitiful _half-warrior_ like me shouldn't be bothering the leader's daughter.” She jerked up her chin, her tail bristling furiously behind her. “I guess it's just luck that we haven't had to deal with you in the warrior's den yet,” she sneered.

     Fury seared through Shrewpaw's pelt. She hadn't meant to be so openly rude to the tortoiseshell, but Olivenose's reply had wiped out any remorse she would've felt about it. “Look, you –”

     Before Shrewpaw could finish, a yowl from outside the den cut her off. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tall Branch for a Clan meeting!” Shrewpaw recognized her father's yowl. Unease clenched in her gut – it was time. Without another word, she padded towards the den's entrance, shoving past an outraged Olivenose on her way out of the den.

     Cats were already gathering around the tree where her father made his den by the time Shrewpaw left the medicine den. She spotted her mother and brother in the crowd and made a beeline for them. As she settled in beside Spiderpaw, she saw Olivenose joining Ivytail in the crowd, her tail lashing irritably. Olivenose whispered something to Ivytail, who cast a brief glare in Shrewpaw's direction. Shrewpaw felt a brief brush of guilt. Maybe she'd crossed the line a bit when she'd called Olivenose a half-warrior. But after a moment, the guilt faded, replaced by annoyance. What should she feel sorry for? Olivenose was just a bossy stiffwhiskers who thought she was better than every cat. Shrewpaw would be a better warrior one day than she could ever hope to be.

     As the crowd continued to gather, Spiderpaw leaned closer to Shrewpaw. “I'm sorry that you're not earning your name with me today,” he murmured. There was sympathy in his eyes, but also fear, as though he were readying himself for battle rather than a ceremony. Shrewpaw was surprised to see the wild trembling of his tail. “I know how much you wanted this. You deserve to be a warrior more than anyone – way more than me.”

     Shrewpaw hesitated. She knew her brother was genuine in his apology, but she couldn't bring herself to respond right away. All day, hurt and disappointment had been twisting together inside of her gut, but now, looking at her brother, a new emotion joined them – anger. He was right. She deserved this more than him. She was the one who had done well in training and taken it seriously. It should be _her_ earning her warrior name today, not Spiderpaw. She jerked her muzzle away, refusing to meet Spiderpaw's eyes. “Thanks,” she mewed stiffly. Spiderpaw flinched, hurt flashing in his eyes, but Shrewpaw did her best to ignore it.

     Once the crowd had finished gathering, Shrewpaw turned her attention to her leader. Blackstar was standing on the Tall Branch which hung over the crowd. The tom's head and tail were held high, and his amber eyes were blazing with pride. It was obvious that he couldn't be more proud to be giving his son his warrior name that day. Shrewpaw tried to ignore the resentment prickling at her pelt and listened as her father began the ceremony.

     “Cats of ShadowClan,” Blackstar rumbled, joy gleaming in his eyes. “Today, one of our Clanmates has taken the final steps on his journey to becoming a warrior, and will now take his place as a full member of this Clan. It is time for my son to become a warrior of ShadowClan!” Cheers rose from the crowd, but Spiderpaw shrank back, looking uncomfortable. Shrewpaw did her best to ignore him. Blackstar lifted his chin, his gaze falling onto the crowd as he rumbled, “Step forward, Spiderpaw!”

     At first, Spiderpaw seemed frozen in place. Then he slowly rose to his paws. From her spot behind him, Whitewater murmured, “Go on,” to her son, her eyes gleaming with pride. Spiderpaw padded slowly through the crowd, coming to stand below the Tall Branch. The tom stood taller than a fair few of the warriors now, with a lankier build than his father or sister, and his gray pelt had been groomed to perfection for the ceremony. He looked every inch the warrior that a son of Blackstar should be. And yet, the wild fear in his eyes and the bristling of his tail hinted at something else.

     Blackstar leaped down from the Tall Branch, coming to stand in front of his son. In a deep, proud rumble, he began, “I, Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.” He lifted his chin, eyes blazing with pride as he looked upon his son. “Spiderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     Shrewpaw waited for the affirmative reply from her brother, but it didn't come. Instead, Spiderpaw seemed frozen. Her tail bristled with disbelief. With the fear glowing in his eyes, the tucked tail and ducked head, Spiderpaw looked more like a scared kit than a new warrior. Anger wriggled in her gut again. Spiderpaw was being given one of the highest honors any cat could expect, but he was acting like he was being forced to do something unpleasant. He was becoming a _warrior_. It was an insult to the Clan and to the warrior code to look so hesitant at the thought of becoming a warrior of ShadowClan. Jealousy and desire burned in her belly. She wanted this more than Spiderpaw. _She_ was the one who deserved to be a warrior today, not her brother.

     After a few moments, Spiderpaw finally managed to still the trembling of his tail. He lifted his chin, finally forcing out a brief, “I do.” His tone was even enough, only betraying a slight tremor. Shrewpaw guessed that his fear hadn't been as obvious to the rest of their Clanmates as it had been to her. But she couldn't ignore the uneasy twitching of Spiderpaw's tail, or the envy burning in her own gut.

     “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name,” Blackstar rumbled. “Spiderpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Spiderfoot. StarClan honors your swiftness and your forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.”

     The newly-named Spiderfoot hesitated, then bowed his head, allowing Blackstar to lay his chin over it. Shrewpaw could hear how fiercely Blackstar was purring even from her spot in the crowd. As Spiderfoot drew his head back, the crowd took up the cheer of, “Spiderfoot! Spiderfoot! Spiderfoot!” Shrewpaw joined the crowd in their cheers, but the word felt bitter on her tongue.

     As the cheers died down, Whitewater leaned over to whisper to Shrewpaw. “Don't worry, darling,” she murmured. “It'll be your chance soon enough.”

     Shrewpaw gave a weak purr in reply, but her resentment and hurt were far greater than a few comforting words from her mother could cure. As she watched her brother duck his head shyly from the cheers of his Clanmates, a newly-named warrior being honored by his Clan, she could feel something harden in her gut. Something had shifted between her and her brother, something had changed – now, the desire to prove herself above him burned in her chest. Spiderfoot had shown weakness and ingratitude today, but she would show no such faults when her time came. She would prove herself worthy of the honor her brother had disrespected and, with or without him, she would be the greatest warrior that ShadowClan had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I felt like writing more Shrewfoot's Spite, so here's the next chapter. ^^ And we finally get to see Spiderpaw become a warrior. His warrior name was already revealed, since I mentioned he was the cat from Battles of the Clans, but I hope his warrior ceremony was still enjoyable to see. ^^ And we also get to see Shrewpaw's bitterness growing, and her attitude against halfClan cats.
> 
> I know that Olivenose was listed as an apprentice all the way up to Sunrise, but since Ivytail was made a warrior in Outcast, I didn't feel like coming up with an excuse for why her littermate took so much longer to become a warrior, not when I already had that going on with Shrewpaw. I'm just gonna say that the allegiances were inaccurate and that Olivenose became a warrior at the same time as her sister. A bunch of apprentices in the other Clans were listed as apprentices for the entire arc, even though they were older than the Three and should've been warriors by Eclipse age-wise, so I think it's fair to just count that as a mistake. That's what I'm running with, anyway. :P
> 
> There was more I wanted to say about this chapter, but now I can't think of it. :P I'll try to write more soon, but like I said, my original project takes priority right now.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One peaceful night...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Five

     “What in the name of StarClan...?”

     Shrewpaw was jerked from her sleep by Snaketail's alarmed cry. She scrambled out of her nest, hurrying to the den's entrance to see what was going on. In the dim glow of the moonlight, she was just able to make out the outline of a black cat skidding to a halt in front of Snaketail. A furious Ivytail raced in after the black cat.

     “Where's Blackstar?” the cat demanded. Shrewpaw blinked, surprised as she recognized the cat's voice and black pelt. It was Hollypaw, a ThunderClan apprentice that she had met at a Gathering once. The she-cat's eyes were wild with fear, and she was panting, as though she had run a great distance. Shrewpaw waited in the den's entrance to see what would happen.

     Snaketail's hackles and tail bristled as he regarded the ThunderClan apprentice in front of him. But before he could snarl a reply, another voice broke him off. “Hollypaw!” A tortoiseshell queen bounded out of the nursery. Shrewpaw curled her lip at the sight of Tawnypelt.

     Hollypaw whirled to face Tawnypelt, eyes blazing with fear. “You've got to help me!”

     Tawnypelt looked shocked at the panicked appearance of the ThunderClan cat, but she managed to take on a soothing tone as she mewed, “Slow down.” Cats were beginning to emerge from their dens, roused by Hollypaw's panicked cries, but the apprentice hardly seemed to notice.

     “There's no time to slow down,” Hollypaw protested. “WindClan is attacking, and Brambleclaw's patrol is outnumbered. He sent me to get help!”

     Shrewpaw stiffened in shock, and she heard murmurs of surprise from the gathered cats. Tawnypelt's eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, her expression became focused. “Come with me,” she urged Hollypaw in a brisk mew. The tortoiseshell queen led Hollypaw across the clearing and into Blackstar's den.

     Once they were gone, the cats in the clearing burst into frenzied whispers.

     “ThunderClan is under attack?”  
     “Serves the nosy kittypet-friends right!”  
     “Hush Owlpaw! No one deserves to get driven from their camp!”  
     “What is Onestar thinking?”

     Pawsteps sounded from further back in the medicine den. “What's going on?” asked a sleepy mew behind Shrewpaw. She turned to see Littlecloud blinking at her, looking still half-asleep.

     “A ThunderClan apprentice has come to talk to Blackstar,” Shrewpaw explained. “It seems that WindClan is attacking them.”

     Littlecloud stiffened with shock. “ThunderClan is being attacked?” Without another word, the tom turned and padded back into the den, heading straight for the herb stores at the back. Shrewpaw fought back a prickle of irritation. Littlecloud was a great medicine cat, but he had too much of a soft spot for ThunderClan.

     With the medicine cat busy, Shrewpaw padded out of the den, joining a few of her Clanmates gathered in the clearing. Ratscar was in the crowd, and gave a brief nod to Shrewpaw as she came to stand beside him. “Sounds like there's trouble with WindClan,” he commented.

     “Definitely,” Shrewpaw agreed.

     Applefur, who stood nearby, spoke up. “Do you think Blackstar will send a battle patrol to help them?”

     Shrewpaw growled, “I hope so.” She flexed her claws, digging them into the dirt. After so long cooped up in the medicine den, her pelt was bristling with pent-up energy. A fierce desire for battle surged in her blood. Her cough had all but faded in the last few days. This could be her chance to prove herself as a potential warrior.

     Out of the corner of her eye, Shrewpaw spotted three small forms creeping out of the nursery and towards the leader's den. Her eyes narrowed in displeasure. She could recognize the pelts of Tawnypelt's kits even in the dim light of the moon. Tigerkit was at the front of the group, eyes bright with curiosity as he led Flamekit and Dawnkit towards Blackstar's den. Tawnypelt's litter was nearly old enough to be apprentice, but they still acted like kits most of the time, and they were just as nosy and annoying as their mother. They were probably off to eavesdrop on the leader's meeting with Hollypaw. She considered ratting them out, but she was soon distracted by the excited whispers of her Clanmates, and the nosy kits soon faded from her mind.

     “Why should we help ThunderClan?” Snaketail snarled, lashing his tail. “They've always lorded it over our Clan, and they've never done much for us before. I say let Onestar have his fun.”

     Kinkfur glared at her brother. “How can you say that?” she demanded. “WindClan is trying to drive them out! We have to do something!”

     “This isn't just about ThunderClan,” Rowanclaw growled before Snaketail could snap back at his sister. There was a dark look in the tabby's eyes. “Onestar has grown so arrogant that he thinks he can drive a Clan out of the forest. We can't let him think the rest of the Clans will sit back and let him do it – or he could be coming for us next.”

     The crowd fell silent at that. A chill ran through Shrewpaw's pelt at the thought of WindClan swarming into ShadowClan's camp, trying to drive her Clanmates away just like they were trying to do to ThunderClan. Determination hardened in her gut. Rowanclaw was right. She was no great fan of ThunderClan, but they couldn't just sit back and let Onestar think he could do whatever he wanted. He had to be stopped.

     The slap of paws against dirt distracted Shrewpaw from those thoughts. She turned to see Hollypaw and Tawnypelt bounding out of the leader's den, only to be stopped as Tawnypelt's kits swarmed around them. Tawnypelt said something to them that Shrewpaw couldn't hear, then herded them quickly towards the nursery, where Snowbird stood waiting to look after them. With that done, Tawnypelt bounded out of the camp, and Hollypaw followed her after a moment's pause.

     The crowd burst into curious whispers, which only rose in pitch as Russetfur stepped out of the leader's den. She swarmed up the tree and onto the Tall Branch. Though she was scrawny and frail with age, her green eyes were blazing with strength as she yowled, “Everyone, gather around!” A formal call was not needed – everyone was awake and out of their dens by this point. The gathered cats quickly grouped in front of the Tall Branch, looking up at their deputy.

     Russetfur wasted no time. “Blackstar has decided to send a patrol to aid ThunderClan,” she announced in a brisk mew. Excited murmurs broke out at her words, but she ignored them and pressed on. “I'll be leading the patrol. If I call your name, meet me at the camp's entrance, and get ready for battle.”

     Annoyance pricked at Shrewpaw's pelt. _Why isn't Blackstar the one leading the patrol?_ she wondered irritably. She'd been noticing odd things like that with her father a lot lately. Though once he had prided himself on being involved in the running of his Clan, now he deferred to Russetfur as often as not, letting her make important decisions for the Clan and staying in his den rather than engaging with the Clan. It wasn't noticeable enough that the rest of the Clan had picked up on it, but Shrewpaw had been in camp so much with her sickness that she'd been able to see it. She just hoped that whatever it was, her father would be back to his old self soon.

     Russetfur briskly listed off names of warriors and apprentices for the battle patrol. Snaketail and his new apprentice, Scorchpaw, were among the first chosen, soon followed by Smokefoot and Whitewater, as well as their apprentices. New warriors Ivytail and Olivenose were named, as well as Rowanclaw, and finally Ratscar and Spiderfoot. Littlecloud offered to come along to help heal any injured cats. Shrewpaw waited to hear her own name sounded, but instead, Russetfur flicked her tail dismissively, signaling the end of her list. “We leave immediately,” she growled.

     Outrage sparked through Shrewpaw's pelt. This was her first chance to really serve her Clan in _moons,_ she wasn't missing out on this. As Russetfur leaped down from the Tall Branch and headed towards the battle patrol, Shrewpaw rushed to meet her. “Wait!” she gasped. Russetfur barely glanced at her, hurrying to the head of the patrol. “Let me come with you! I'm not coughing anymore, I can handle it!”

     Russetfur spared her a brief, stern glance. “But you haven't trained properly in moons,” she mewed bluntly. “You're not in shape for a fight. You're staying here.” Shrewpaw opened her jaws to argue, but Russetfur cut her off with a brief, “That's an order.”

     “I'll keep an eye on her, Russetfur.” Shrewpaw nearly jumped at the sound of Tallpoppy's mew behind her. The elder had an amused gleam in her eyes as she regarded Shrewpaw, but there was also gentle understanding in her expression. “Don't worry.”

     The scrawny deputy gave a stiff nod, then bounded past the den's entrance, the rest of the patrol following one by one. Spiderfoot was the last to leave the camp. He hesitated by the camp's entrance, glancing at Shrewpaw for a moment, a glow of fear in his eyes. Shrewpaw opened her jaws to say something. Before she could, a sharp call from Russetfur caused Spiderfoot to turn away. He hesitated a moment longer, then pushed past the thorny entrance and out into the forest. Within moments, he was gone, and the chance of battle with him.

     Shrewpaw stared after where he'd gone, bristling with shock and anger. Her first chance to prove herself in moons, and she'd been passed up with barely a glance. Tallpoppy seemed to sense her frustration. The elder nudged Shrewpaw gently with her muzzle, mewing, “Come on. There'll be injured cats when the battle is over, and I know Littlecloud would appreciate if the right herbs were out and waiting for him when he got back. That's something you can still do to help your Clan.”

     Frustration pulsed through Shrewpaw's pelt. Her time in the medicine den had taught her a lot about herbs, but being stuck with herb-sorting duties was the last thing she wanted right now. “I'm not a medicine cat, alright?” she snarled. She jerked away from Tallpoppy's touch, ignoring the elder's shock as she turned and bounded away towards the medicine den. Resentment twisted in her gut as she retreated further into the den, away from the prying eyes of her Clanmates. She would be a warrior one day. Once she got her chance, she would prove herself, and then no one would ever be able to question her again. Not Russetfur, not her brother, not _anybody._

**SCENEBREAK**

     Despite her annoyance, Shrewpaw did end up doing as Tallpoppy suggested, sorting through the herb stores and pulling out anything Littlecloud would need to heal the returning warriors. The apprentice didn't emerge from the den at all, even as the sky outside lightened, signaling the arrival of dawn. She was still too embarrassed about being passed up for the patrol.

     Suddenly, cries of alarm sounded outside. Shrewpaw paused. Something was wrong. Cats were wailing outside of the den, and the light coming in through the den's entrance was growing weaker and weaker. Even the birds that were singing in the forest had fallen silent. Shrewpaw hesitated for a moment, then stood and began padding towards the den's entrance.

     When she padded out into camp, she was stunned to see her Clanmates standing at various points in camp, staring up at the sky with horror in their eyes. Shrewpaw padded up to Blackstar, who was standing just in front of his den, his pelt bristled out in horror. “What's going on?” she asked, unease pricking at her pelt. She had never seen her father look so scared before. “Is it the battle?”

     Blackstar gave the briefest shake of his head. His terrified gaze didn't leave the sky for a moment. “Look,” he rasped.

     Slowly, Shrewpaw followed his gaze, only to freeze in shock and terror. The sun was gone. Something that she had believed as immovable as the sky itself was just _gone._ In its place, a wide, black disk encircled by a ring of yellow flame hung in the sky. Though it had been early morning only moments before, now the sky was as pitch black as though it were still night. All around the clearing, cats were hissing and wailing their fear, pressed against each other's pelts, as though their Clanmates could protect them from what they were seeing.

     Blackstar drew closer to Shrewpaw, his breath warming her pelt, but she didn't even look at him. All she could do was stare at the shadow that had swallowed up the sun. She felt as though she had forgotten how to breathe. _Oh StarClan, what does this mean?_ she wondered fearfully. Her entire pelt was trembling with fear. _You've never left us in a darkness this great!_

     Through the haze of her terror, she just barely managed to hear Toadfoot's yowl. “Someone's coming!” The words were enough to tear Shrewpaw out of her shock. She turned her gaze to the camp's entrance, waiting tensely for what had alerted Toadfoot.

     She bristled in shock when a familiar tom pushed his way through the thorn entrance. “Spiderfoot!” she wailed. The sun dilemma forgotten, she and Blackstar raced towards her brother.

     Spiderfoot paused just inside of the camp, shaking from head to toe. Most of his pelt was smeared with blood and mud, and there was a wild look of terror on his eyes. Blackstar pressed against his son's side, trying to steady him, but he couldn't seem to stop shaking. Shrewpaw was chilled by the kit-like fear in her brother's eyes.

     “Spiderfoot, talk to me,” Shrewpaw pleaded. She pressed against her brother's side, desperately licking the blood from his fur. “What happened? Where are you wounded?”

     Blackstar shifted his terrified gaze to his daughter. “Shrewpaw, go get some herbs, something to help him!” he ordered, his mew cracking with emotion. Shrewpaw could see terror blazing in his eyes for his son. She gave a small nod, then turned and bounded away towards the medicine den. All fears about being seen as more medicine cat than warrior had been forgotten. The only thing she could think of was her fear for her brother's life.

     Shrewpaw quickly scraped together some of the herbs she knew were useful for healing wounds. Once she had enough, she turned and raced from the medicine den with the leaves clutched in her jaws. She began to hurry towards Spiderfoot, only to stop in shock at the sight that awaited her.

     Cats had crowded around Spiderfoot, doing their best to help support the injured tom and lick his pelt clean. But now they were all backing away. As Shrewpaw came to a halt, and the cats around Spiderfoot backed out of the way, she could see why. There was barely a mark on Spiderfoot. With the mud and blood washed away, the only wounds that could could see were a few minor cuts, and a nick in one ear. Her tail bristled in shock. “What...?”

     Before she could find her voice again, most cats pushed past the thorn entrance. Ivytail led the way into camp, Ratscar following behind her with Snaketail leaning against his side. The dark tabby was bleeding heavily, blood trickling from a wound on his head. Though his gaze was hazy with pain, Snaketail still managed to direct a furious glare in Spiderfoot's direction. “Oh, so this is where you scurried off to, traitor!” he spat as his former apprentice. Blood mixed with spittle flew from his jaws as he spoke.

     Shrewpaw bristled in shock. Blackstar took a step towards Snaketail, anger glowing in his eyes. “How dare you call my son a traitor?” he growled. Even through his anger, there was something slow about the leader's movements, and confusion mixed with the anger in his eyes. Shrewpaw was once again struck with the impression that something was off about the usually-stoic leader.

     “Because that's what he is!” Snaketail snarled. Fury blazed in his eyes, and his pelt was shaking with rage and pain.

     While Ratscar led Snaketail away towards the medicine den, Ivytail stayed behind, bristling uncomfortably. “We were in the abandoned twoleg den in ThunderClan's territory,” she began to explain, unable to meet Blackstar's eyes. “We were planning to ambush any WindClan warriors that came by. But we were jumped by a RiverClan patrol. While the rest of us fought... Spiderfoot hid in the corner. Even when Snaketail had his head slammed against the stones, Spiderfoot just stayed where he was. We had to help Snaketail escape without him.”

     Yowls of outrage rose up from the crowd. Cats were throwing glares in Spiderfoot's direction, and some even hissed and snarled at him. Spiderfoot flinched from their anger, beginning to tremble once again. Shrewpaw was too stunned to react like her Clanmates. Disbelief was tugging at her pelt. She'd always known her brother was the sensitive type, and he'd never been a very strong fighter, or quite as motivated as the other warriors. But her brother, a coward? A _traitor?_ Her own brother watched as his Clanmates were attacked and did nothing to defend them? She couldn't understand it.

     Through all of the jeers of their Clanmates, Blackstar stared at Ivytail without saying a word. All of the anger had faded him from. His eyes were glowing with confusion, as though he hadn't entirely understood what he had heard. Very slowly, his gaze slid from Ivytail to Spiderfoot. “Is this true?” he rasped.

     Spiderfoot hesitated. He stole a quick glance at his father, before shifting his gaze to his paws, unable to meet Blackstar's eyes. “I... I was scared,” he finally whispered. “I couldn't move. I heard cats yowling and I could smell the blood, and I just wanted it to end.” In an even smaller voice, he whispered, “I'm sorry.”

     “Traitor!” Owlpaw spat from the crowd. Shrewpaw could see disgust in his eyes from his spot in the crowd. “You should have fought! That's what warriors do!”

     The cry seemed to rouse Blackstar from his stunned haze. He gave a brief shake, a bit of clarity returning to his eyes. “That's enough,” he growled, though there wasn't the usual strength behind his mew. “We have all seen things today that would scare any cat. No one can be blamed for being frightened on a day when all four Clans fight each other, and the sun itself is swallowed by shadows.” His words sent a chill through Shrewpaw. She stole a quick glance up at the sky, and was relieved to see that the shadow seemed to be retreating. It was only partially covering the sun now. But the return of the sun didn't fix everything.

     Blackstar took a step closer to his son, pressing against Spiderfoot's pelt, even as the younger tom refused to met his father's gaze. “I will not tolerate any cat calling my son, or any other warrior who fled today, a coward,” he said in a stronger mew. “Today, the sun was taken from us, and that is more important than any warriors being frightened.” He fixed a stern glare on the crowd, meeting every cat's gaze in turn to make sure he was understood. Even though he spoke in defense of his son, Shrewpaw thought she could see a touch of hurt as his gaze flicked over to Spiderfoot for a moment. He continued, “Any injured cats, go to Littlecloud to get your wounds seen to. Everyone else, go to your duties.” Without another word, he turned and padded back into his den, leaving the crowd to murmur in shock behind him.

     After a few moments, the crowd began to disperse. No one jeered or hissed at Spiderfoot, not now that Blackstar had given his order, but many still threw glares his way as they passed him. Spiderfoot seemed to shrink into himself more with each glare. As the crowd cleared up, he seemed to look around for something, until he spotted Shrewpaw. He took a step towards her. “Shrewpaw, I –” he started.

     Shrewpaw turned abruptly away and padded back towards the medicine den. Hurt and confusion and disgust were welling up together inside of her belly. She still couldn't understand what she'd been told. Her brother had gone into battle to defend his Clan, but instead of fighting to protect his Clanmates, he'd hidden like a coward while they were attacked. Her brother had failed his Clan more deeply than she ever would have imagined. His betrayal hurt more than any of the earlier embarrassment or resentment she'd felt towards him. They had grown up side by side, hunting and training together since the moment they could walk – but now, knowing what he had done, Shrewpaw suddenly felt that she had never known her brother at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I seem to be addicted to writing these. :P I need to focus on my novel, but instead I stay up writing this. Agh. Any advice on how to write when not motivated?
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter of Shrewfoot's Spite. The dialogue at the beginning is from Eclipse and does not belong to me, I just used it for the purposes of this fic. I decided to make the "large tabby" that Hollypaw skidded to a halt in front of Snaketail, since he seemed to fit the description the best. He's described as having a tabby-striped tail, so I'm gonna interpret him as either a ticked tabby or a lynx point tabby. Either way, he's still a tabby. :P
> 
> I also had to fix some of the cats who were in the Eclipse battle. The only confirmed cats int that battle from ShadowClan in Eclipse were Snaketail, Tawnypelt, and Scorchpaw. I added a few more, to make up the numbers for a proper battle patrol. However, for the scene in Battles of the Clans, I had to substitute two of the cats who were lying in wait in the abandoned twoleg den. It was said there were four cats there - Spiderfoot, Snaketail, Whitetail, and Antpelt. The problem is, there are no ShadowClan cats named Whitetail and Antpelt - those are both WindClan cats.
> 
> So I'm just gonna count that as a mistake, and I decided that "Antpelt" was actually Ratscar and "Whitetail" was actually Ivytail. Ratscar is a brown tom just like Antpelt, so that fits I think, and though his apprentice wasn't at the last Gathering to be rude to an elder since she was sick, I'm gonna say the apprentice in question was Owlpaw and Ratscar stepped in because Owlpaw's mentor wasn't present, so Pouncetail just assumed he was Owlpaw's mentor. That's what I'm going with, anyway. :P
> 
> It probably would've been easier to substitute Whitewater for Whitetail, since they look similar and have similar names. However, Whitewater would have never left her son behind alone in that twoleg den, so I decided to substitute Ivytail instead. They both have -tail in their name, at least, and Ivytail is at least partly pale-colored. Oh well, it was the closest I could get. :P
> 
> Anyway, for those who have read Battles of the Clans, specifically the chapter A Time for Mercy, this scene with Spiderfoot shouldn't come as a shock. ^^ For everyone else, I recommend reading that chapter to fully understand what is happening here, although it's explained fairly well in the text as well I think. It was cool getting to write the eclipse from another cat's perspective, and seeing how everyone reacted to Spiderfoot's supposed cowardice. We'll get to see more of the fallout of the eclipse in the next chapter - and for anyone who has read Long Shadows, what comes next shouldn't be a surprise. ^^
> 
> I shall try to work more on my novel before the next chapter, so we'll see when I can get it done. I'm halfway through this novella, though, so that's cool. ^^


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quarter moon later, things have changed in ShadowClan...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Six

     The battered apprentice stood facing her opponent, panting with the effort of her battle. Her pelt was mussed from being tossed around the clearing, and she could feel bruises forming under her pelt already. But the fierce satisfaction pulsing through her pelt overpowered any feeling of pain.

     “Well done.” Shrewpaw lifted her chin at the praise. Ratscar stood across from his apprentice, his pelt as mussed as Shrewpaw's and his sides heaving with the effort of the fight. Even as he winced as he shifted his shoulder, pride glowed in his eyes. “You're doing great, Shrewpaw.”

     Just over a quarter moon had passed since the Great Battle, as the battle between all four Clans was beginning to be known. Shrewpaw had finally been declared cured and had been allowed to return to her training. Since then, she had worked tirelessly with Ratscar to bring herself back up to speed on her training. It had been frustrating work so far. It had been two moons since she'd done anything as taxing as her training, and her body was no longer as fit or as strong as it had been before her sickness. But with some hard work and patient instruction from Ratscar, and some serious dedication from Shrewpaw, they had slowly worked her back up to something resembling her former strength.

     Ratscar sat, twisting around to lick at his sore shoulders. “You've really gotten that half-turn belly rake down,” he mewed between licks. “You could use more power behind your blows, but that'll come once you build up more of your strength.” He turned back to look at Shrewpaw, his expression thoughtful. “What you really could use is more practice with fighting multiple cats. But...”

     “But we can't,” Shrewpaw finished, her mood darkening. “Not anymore.”

     Her mentor sighed. “Come on,” he mewed, pushing up onto his paws. “You should head back to camp. I'll stay out a bit longer to hunt – we shouldn't be seen arriving back at camp together. You know what he's like about warrior training.”

     Shrewpaw nodded. “I will.” She reached out her muzzle to touch noses with her mentor. “Thank you, Ratscar,” she murmured. “I know what you're risking by training with me.”

     Sadness glowed in Ratscar's eyes, but he didn't respond, just flicking an ear in acknowledgment. Shrewpaw turned and began padding away, leaving the training hollow behind. She knew that Ratscar would clear up any signs that there had been battle training at that site before he left. What they were doing wasn't forbidden, not yet anyway, but it would certainly be looked on with suspicion by certain cats.

     On the way back to camp, she picked up a starling she had caught earlier that day. The bird would serve as an excuse for why she had been gone from camp. Not that it mattered, no cat would ask her that many questions, and the starling would only go towards feeding her own belly.

     Anger surged through Shrewpaw's pelt as she arrived at camp. It was hard to believe how much her Clan had changed in just a quarter of a moon. Rather than lying together in groups, apprentices delivering prey to the elders and warriors sharing tongues, cats now sat apart from each other, eyeing each other warily. No cat dared to be seen sharing their prey with each other, or seeming too familiar. Not with the way things were now.

     Shrewpaw started towards the apprentices' den, only to freeze as a familiar voice sounded behind her. “Hello, Shrewpaw.”

     The apprentice fought to hold back a snarl. Stiffly, she turned towards the cat who had spoken. “Hello, Sol,” she mewed in the politest tone she could manage.

     Sol watched her with his usual calm, but piercing, expression. The tortoiseshell tom was much skinnier than what was usual for a ShadowClan cat, and his narrow face and wide-set ears gave him an odd look. But the deepness of his amber gaze and the soothing rumble of his mew distracted from the oddness of his appearance. Shrewpaw could feel the calming power of his voice as he mewed, “You've been gone for some time. Your father was becoming worried about you.”

     Anger sparked through Shrewpaw's pelt at Sol's mention of her father. She fought back the irritated reply that sprang to her tongue, instead mewing, “I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself Sol.” With a small, annoyed flick of her tail, she added, “Isn't that the idea, every cat looking out for themselves?”

     “Of course,” Sol answered in a smooth purr. “But no one can blame a father for worrying after his kits, now can they?” Though his tone was mild, suspicion glittered in the tom's amber eyes. Sol was far too intelligent not to guess the reason for Shrewpaw slipping away from camp every day. But without proof, Shrewpaw doubted he would act on his suspicion. She was Blackstar's daughter, after all, and Sol seemed to want to please Blackstar above all cats. For now, she was safe from his scheming.

     Shrewpaw gave a small shrug in reply, then turned and padded away, trying to hide the uneasy bristling of her hackles. She could sense Sol's gaze on her as she carried her starling towards the apprentice's den. Only once she was in the den did she finally feel safe from his prying eyes.

     She settled into her nest and began digging into her starling, trying to ignore the rest of her denmates eating their own meals around her. Though Spiderfoot had moved out his nest, the apprentice's den had quickly become crowded again after his departure. Not only had she moved back in after recovering from her longcough, along with Owlpaw and Redpaw already having nests in there, but Scorchpaw had recently moved in, followed quickly by Tawnypelt's kits. Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw were the Clan's newest apprentices, though the word meant little in Sol's version of ShadowClan. It was irritating beyond belief to have to share a den with Tawnypelt's loud-mouthed kits, and with the way things were going in ShadowClan, Shrewpaw wasn't sure she would be escaping the apprentices' den any time soon.

     The day of the Great Battle, three ThunderClan apprentices had been found close to ShadowClan's borders and had been brought back to the camp. Sol had been with them. No ShadowClan cat had heard of the loner before he arrived, but Blackstar had taken to him right away, to Shrewpaw's shock. Her one-noble father seemed to hang on the loner's every word like a lost kit wanting to be comforted.

     With stunning ease, Sol had become Blackstar's closest confidant, and had used his influence to turn ShadowClan away from the warrior code and StarClan. The first time he'd suggested such things, Shrewpaw had bristled with stunned fury. How dare this mangy rogue suggest that her Clan give up their code? But even more stunning had been the reactions of her Clanmates. While some, like Ratscar and Littlecloud, still believed in the warrior code, some had been willing to turn away from the code that had guided them since birth. Worst of all was that Blackstar _agreed_ with Sol's treacherous bile. He had practically turned control of the Clan over to Sol these last few days. Now, any cat who didn't abide by Sol's rules was looked on with suspicion.

     Though Sol didn't yet have enough power to fully enforce his way of living, he had made it clear that he thought little of warriors or ranks or mentors training their apprentices. In his ShadowClan, every cat was to fend for themselves. Shrewpaw'd had to be careful not to be seen training with Ratscar ever since. It infuriated her to have to skulk around in the shadows like she was doing something wrong, but for now, Sol's influence on her father was too great.

     Rage surged through her pelt. _Enough._ Something had to be done. Leaving behind the last of her starling, and ignoring the startled murmurs of her denmates, she stormed out of the apprentice's den and towards her father's.

     When she pushed her way into Blackstar’s den, she could see her father and brother lying a few paws apart, apparently deep in discussion. They looked up as Shrewpaw entered the den. While Spiderfoot glances away nervously, Blackstar gave a welcoming purr. “Shrewpaw! I was wondering when you’d get back.” He rose to his paws, striding over to touch his nose to Shrewpaw’s with a purr. “How was hunting?”

     “Fine, thank you,” Shrewpaw said in a polite mew. As Blackstar returned to where he’d been sitting, she mewed, “Blackstar, can we talk?” She pointedly ignored Spiderfoot’s presence in the den. She hoped her brother would take the hint that he wasn’t wanted and would leave, but instead he stayed where he was laying, looking uneasily between his sister and father.

     “Of course,” Blackstar purred. He sat, curling his tail around his paws. “What about?”

     “Sol.” Blackstar stiffened. “I’m worried about the effect he’s having on the Clan. The way he wants us to live, it’s not who we are.”

     Sadness was beginning to glow in Blackstar’s eyes. There was a weary set to the tom’s expression, so unlike his usual stoic bearing. “It’s not who we were,” he murmured. “But maybe it’s better that way.”

     “We’re _warriors,_ Shrewpaw pressed her father. “We’re supposed to follow the warrior code, but Sol wants us to turn our backs on it, and on StarClan!”

     Sudden anger flashed in Blackstar’s eyes. “StarClan!” he spat, causing Spiderfoot to flinch. “What have they ever done for us? They did nothing to stop Brokenstar from scarring your mother or killing Blossomkit, they gave no warning to those loyal to him about the bloodshed he would bring. They refused to give Nightstar, our first decent leader in moons, the nine lives of a leader, and gave them instead to another tyrant!”

     The leader's claws unsheathed and dug deep into the dirt. “StarClan have allowed ShadowClan to suffer for as long as I’ve been alive, and have done nothing to help us,” he snarled. “Why should we listen to fading spirits who can’t or won’t help the living they’ve left behind? Why should we follow their code or live by their laws? Living cats should depend on the living, like Sol says, not on nursery tales of starry cats watching over us.”

     A chill ran through Shrewpaw’s pelt. Blackstar was speaking of their ancestors with the same contempt one would speak of a rat. It sounded like he had already given up on StarClan, and the warrior code. Frustration pricked at her paws. Didn’t Blackstar have any respect for the code that had protected them for so long? “The warrior code is the heart of the Clans,” she argued, starting to feel desperate. “We have the blood of ancient warriors in our veins, it's what makes us more than just a gang of mangy rogues. We can't turn our backs on that!”

     Blackstar sighed. “I know how badly you want to be a warrior, Shrewpaw,” he mewed. “And I'm sorry. But the warrior code and this blind faith in starry ancestors has only brought this Clan suffering. That's not the life I want for my family, not anymore.” He stood, reaching his muzzle to brush against Shrewpaw's, but she pulled back. Sadness glowed in his eyes. “StarClan has stolen enough from me, Shrewpaw. I just want what's best for you, and for our Clan.”

     “And you think that _Sol_ is what is best for us?” Shrewpaw snarled, no longer working to hide her disgust. “That common, fleabitten rogue has no righ–!”

     “That's enough.” Blackstar's mew was harder now with anger. “Sol has been a great friend to this Clan. I know you don't like him, but he's a very wise cat, and I know he can help guide our Clan to a better way of life. It was Sol that predicted that the sun would disappear, not StarClan. He can see more clearly than any of us. He's staying, and that's the end of it.”

     Shrewpaw opened her jaws to argue further, bristling with righteous anger. Before she could retort, however, Spiderfoot broke her off. “Come on,” he murmured. He rose to his paws, his tail-tip brushing gently against Shrewpaw's shoulder as he passed her. “No point in arguing further. Why don't we just go for a walk?”

     The apprentice bristled indignantly. The last thing she wanted right now was her brother, who she was hardly on good terms with, dragging her away from this fight. But as she hesitated, Blackstar turned his head away. The sharp lashing of his tail indicated that the conversation was over. Frustration surged through her pelt. With an ill-tempered growl, she turned and stormed out of the den, Spiderfoot following quietly behind her.

     Spiderfoot took the lead as they headed out into the forest. He set a slow, leisurely pace, leading his sister to a clearing with a small stream, where the trees were thinner. The tom seemed at ease as they walked, but Shrewpaw's own irritation grew the farther they left the camp behind. She kept playing her conversation with Blackstar over in her head, fuming over his refusal to listen and his mislaid trust in Sol. How could her own father give up on his Clan so easily? How could he take the advice of that common, low-down _snake_ of a rogue over his own daughter? After how long it had taken her to get through her training, and how hard she'd worked to become a warrior, how could he take that away from her?

     “I always loved this part of the territory.” Shrewpaw nearly jumped when Spiderfoot spoke. She'd been so wrapped up in her anger that she'd almost forgotten he was there. Spiderfoot was glancing around the clearing with a contented air, his tail-tip brushing against a cluster of orchids. The water of the nearby stream bubbled past in a low, soothing sound, and a gentle breeze sent ripples through the sparse undergrowth in the area. “It's quiet here. Peaceful. I come here when I just want to get away from it all.”

     Shrewpaw snorted. “Away from what? Your Clan?” Her anger at her father was churning inside of her gut, and with Blackstar nowhere in sight, her brother made as good a target for her frustration as anyone. She could still feel the hurt of his betrayal during the Great Battle twisting around inside of her, mixing with anger and disgust. She'd been avoiding Spiderfoot ever since the battle – now was the first time she'd been alone with him since it had happened, and her frustration was at the tipping point.

     Spiderfoot flinched. He turned away from her for a moment, looking down at his paws and tracing his paw slowly over the surface of the stream. After several moments, without turning back to her, he finally murmured, “I know what you must think of me right now. I get it. I just... I just wanted to talk, like we used to. I miss how things used to be.”

     A lump formed in Shrewpaw's throat. For a moment, her anger wavered. “I miss it too,” she admitted. Then, she remembered what he'd done, and the disgust returned. “But I'm not the reason anything's changed between us,” she added with a sniff. “You know that as well as I do.”

     The tom stiffened. After a pause, he turned to face his sister. There was something vulnerable in his expression, something pleading her to understand. “I know that I'm a coward,” he whispered. “I know it. I shouldn't have left Snaketail and the others during the battle, but... Shrewpaw, I was so _scared._ I've always been scared, of, well, of anything to do with being a warrior, really.” He sighed, his tail drooping. “I never liked training, not with my Clanmates judging me, waiting for me to live up to our father, or fail him. I hate fighting. I don't want to hurt anyone, and I'm so afraid of getting hurt.”

     “Oh for StarClan's sake,” Shrewpaw snarled. Disgust was surging inside of her with every word her brother spoke. “Grow up, Spiderfoot. You're not a kit anymore, you're a warrior of ShadowClan. You should start to act like it!”

     Spiderfoot flinched, but after a moment, something stronger flashed in his eyes. “There aren't any warriors anymore,” he reminded her gently. “Or there won't be, not if Sol has his way. And it looks like he will.”

     Fury seared through Shrewpaw's pelt. She stalked up to her brother, thrusting her muzzle in his face as she snarled, “Wait, are you actually telling me you _want_ Sol to destroy our Clan?”

     Her brother scrambled back, his ears pinned back and his eyes wide. “N-no,” he stammered. “Not the way he's doing it. I can see that a lot of our Clanmates aren't happy having the warrior code taken away from them. It's just... well, shouldn't every cat have the right to choose where they belong? If some cats don't want to follow the warrior code–”

     “Any cat that doesn't want to follow our code is a traitor!” Shrewpaw snapped. “The warrior code is the best way any cat could hope to live. That _rat_ of a rogue has no right to even try and live by our code, let alone tear it down and take the rest of us with him!” She lifted her chin, lashing her tail and snarling, “If you can't understand what's wrong with what he's doing, then you're not any better than he is.”

     Spiderfoot said nothing for a long time. There was something deeply mournful about his blue gaze as he stared at his sister. There was dejection in the set of his ears and tail, and his twitching tail-tip betrayed his unease. Looking at the gray-and-black tom, who had stood beside her since birth, who now looked uneasy even at the sight of her, she felt like she was looking at a stranger. “I'm not like you, Shrewpaw,” he murmured at last. “I never was, even if everyone wanted me to be. I'm not brave, or dedicated like you are. Everyone knows that you were the one who deserved to become a warrior that day, not me. I'm a failure. I love my family, and I don't want to disappoint them, but I... I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Shrewpaw.”

     Shrewpaw stared at her brother. Once, she would have teased him for his lack of confidence, or tried to bolster his spirits. Those had been different days. Then, he had still been the brother she loved and would die for. Now she was no longer sure what he was.

     In a very deliberate tone, she told him, “Maybe you're not.” His eyes widened. Without waiting to hear anything he had to say, Shrewpaw whirled around and started bounding away, leaving behind the cat she had once loved as a brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I was really on a roll, and I wanted to write about Sol's reign in ShadowClan, so I got this chapter done really quickly. :P Oops.
> 
> I reread parts of Eclipse and Long Shadows to really pin down all of the timeline stuff and details of Sol's reign, so this is accurate as I can get it to what we heard about Sol's reign in the book. I hope you enjoy it. ^^ We'll see more of Sol's reign in the next chapter.
> 
> So here we get to see the fallout of the Great Battle, Sol beginning his takeover of the Clan, and Shrewpaw catching back up in her training, though she has to be careful about it now that Sol is in charge. We also see the first real conversation between Spiderfoot and Shrewpaw since the battle - but Shrewpaw's not having any of it. Poor Spiderfoot. Writing Shrewpaw is definitely very interesting, especially at the point that she's at right now. That's probably why I'm getting through these chapters so quickly. ^^
> 
> Dunno when I'll get the next one done, it probably won't be long, since I'm looking forward to writing the plot of the next one.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Shrewpaw's world comes crashing down

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Seven

     “Everyone, gather here!”

     Blackstar's yowl roused Shrewpaw from her sleep. She lifted her head from her nest, blinking sleepily. The pale light of dawn was just starting to trickle into the den. Annoyance with her father for not even bothering to sound a formal call pricked at her pelt, but she dutifully rose to her paws, following the rest of the apprentices as they filed out of the den and headed towards the Tall Branch.

     In short order, the entire Clan was gathered in front of the Tall Branch, murmuring to each other and looking up at their leader. To Shrewpaw's surprise, Blackstar wasn't alone on the branch. Whitewater sat on one side of him, and Sol on his other. Her lip curled at the sight of the tortoiseshell tom. She settled in beside Ratscar, wondering what fresh mousedung the rogue would be telling them today.

     Even after every cat had gathered, Blackstar didn't speak. Shrewpaw was chilled by the defeated set to his expression. Blackstar had been looking older than his moons ever since Sol had arrived, but now he looked positively ancient, his ears and tail drooping and a miserable hunch to his shoulders. The glow in his amber eyes was one of pure misery.

     Finally, after what seemed like moons, Blackstar finally spoke in a rasping tone. “I have something to tell all of you,” he mewed, his tail trembling as he spoke. Whitewater pressed against her mate's side as though to comfort him. Fear pricked at Shrewpaw's pelt. She had never seen her father so miserable before.

     “Spiderfoot came to speak with Whitewater and I last night,” he rasped. “He told us that he has decided to leave...” The tom shuddered, closing his eyes and seeming to steel himself before he went on. “He has decided to leave ShadowClan to become a kittypet.”

     Shrewpaw froze.

     Gasps of shock, and mocking yowls, rang out from the crowd. Blackstar flinched away from the sound, drawing his tail tighter towards himself. “He left before dawn this morning to seek out a twolegplace where he can live. He... won't be coming back. He's gone.”

     The crowd burst into yowls even before Blackstar had finished speaking.

     “A _kittypet?_ ”  
     “Traitor!”  
     “How could he?”  
     “What a coward!”  
     “He should have told us himself!”

     Through all of the chaos of the crowd, Shrewpaw remained perfectly still. All of the noise around her seemed muffled. Inside, her thoughts were slow and sluggish as she tried to understand what she had heard. Spiderfoot was gone. Her brother had left ShadowClan... to become a kittypet? Her littermate, the son of a leader, had abandoned his Clan and everything he knew, to become some sniveling twoleg pet? She couldn't understand it. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

     Blackstar's voice broke through her stunned haze. “I have felt for a long time that our faith in StarClan has mislead us,” he continued in a dull mew. “Our Clan has suffered great losses ever since we left our home in the forest behind. And now, the warrior code has failed my family. Failed my _son._ ” For a moment, his voice broke in a sob, and he ducked his head, shuddering. Shrewpaw watched in shock as Whitewater pressed against him again. Her proud, stoic father would never have broken down so openly in front of his Clanmates when she was young. A torrent of confused emotions swept over her, grief and pain mixed with disgust and anger.

     The crowd was deadly silent as they listened to Blackstar's speech. All eyes were fixed on the Tall Branch, every cat waiting to hear what Blackstar would say. Finally, the white tom lifted his head. “I will no longer lead my Clanmates through the suffering that StarClan has decided for us,” he said, a bitter edge to his mew now. “Sol has been right all along. Our ancestors have betrayed us, and the sun disappeared to show us that their time is over, and we must follow them no longer. From now on, StarClan is never to be spoken of or worshiped against in this Clan. I forbid any cat to ever speak their name again.”

     Worried murmurs broke out from the crowd. All around Shrewpaw, cats were exchanging uneasy glances. Russetfur was staring up at the Tall Branch with disbelief glowing in her eyes, and Tawnypelt had stiffened, her jaw hanging open. To Shrewpaw's disgust, however, a few cats looked pleased with the turn of events. “About time,” Snaketail grunted approvingly. “Sol's been talking sense ever since he got here. Why should we keep groveling to StarClan when we've seen over and over again that there are other ways to live?”

     “The warrior code hasn't protected our Clanmates from dying in battles that never needed to happen,” Ivytail mewed, looking uneasy. “And it didn't stop us from losing our home, or stop the sun from disappearing.”

     A surge of fury broke Shrewpaw firmly out of her shock. How dare her own Clanmates support giving up the warrior code? She threw a furious glare in Snaketail's direction. He and Ivytail were both halfClan, and she had known all along that cats with divided blood couldn't be trusted. Now they wanted to tear down the warrior code and turn real warriors into nothing more than selfish rogues. No wonder her brother had turned into a traitor, with a rat like Snaketail training him.

     “But you can't forbid us to speak of StarClan!” The desperate yowl came from the far edge of the crowd. Shrewpaw spotted Littlecloud staring up at the Tall Branch with wide eyes. “They've guided us through all of the hardest times, they're our ancestors, our family!”

     Blackstar's eyes lit up with anger. “And they have betrayed us!” he hissed. “I will listen to their lies no longer, and I forbid any cat here to spread their bile for them.” His gaze softened slightly. “You have been a loyal medicine cat for this Clan, Littlecloud, and I understand why you believe so strongly. But you have been as misled as the rest of us. You are forbidden to ever speak of StarClan or their prophecies ever again, or to travel to the Moonpool to speak with them. ShadowClan will follow the warrior code no more.”

     “But Blackstar-!” 

     Blackstar cut him off with a lash of his tail. “I am not Blackstar anymore,” he hissed. “I will no longer carry the name those treacherous spirits gave me. They promised me that they would always walk beside me, and help me to guide my Clan, but they _lied._ From now on, I am only Blackfoot. I will be a leader of warriors no longer. From now on, every cat may live as they see best, and trust in themselves, not in a flawed code. If you must look to any cat to lead you, look to Sol.” Blackfoot turned his muzzle towards the tortoiseshell loner, his expression one of admiration and warmth. “He can lead all of us to a better future than anything StarClan has to offer us.”

     Horror blazed in Shrewpaw's chest as the rogue dipped his head to Blackstar, then drew himself up to his full height. “I am honored by Blackfoot's faith in me,” Sol began in a smooth purr. “And it gives me joy to see a Clan once so misled finally breaking free of the lies that have held sway over them for generations beyond count. Blackfoot is wise to turn you away from your ancestors. The dead have no sway over the living, other than through the treacherous lies they have told you. Once you let go of that, you are free. The code that you have insisted on clinging to has failed so many cats. Young Spiderfoot is only the latest victim in the long and bloodied history of the Clans.”

     In a stronger tone, he went on, “The time of the Clans has passed. We must look forward, not back, to a brighter future for every cat beside the lake. The borders built between Clan and Clan are as fragile as cobwebs – the slightest tug will tear them away to nothing. Why should any cats fight and die for anything so insubstantial?”

     Shrewpaw heard a low snort from Tallpoppy. “Try telling the cats on the other side of the border that.” But the elder didn't seem willing to speak louder. Most cats seemed spooked now that Sol had been handed full control of ShadowClan.

     “We must not focus on borders that only exist in the minds of cats,” Sol continued, his voice building in strength and confidence. “Or on training for battles that only come because of a slavish devotion to a broken code. The way of the warrior is to force quarrels that only lead to more bloodshed. There is little honor in that. What matters most is finding what the best way is for _you_ to live, and to turn inward for answers, not to seek them from some code that will always fail you. Once every cat lets go of borders and patrols and battles that take up so much time, there will be peace, and more time for hunting enough to fill your bellies. When every cat relies on themselves, there is no conflict, and no suffering.”

     Hearing the fierce certainty in his mew, and the strength with which he spoke, Shrewpaw could almost be convinced. She could see several cats in the clearing nodding to themselves, though there were still cats looking shaken by the shift in leadership. But something inside of her resisted. Sol spoke of peace and prosperity for all, but Shrewpaw knew better than to be swayed. The warrior code was the heart of the Clans. It brought loyalty and courage and mercy that living only for oneself could never provide. His words were nothing but poison.

     “We cannot let a corrupted code hold us back,” Sol went on. “There must be no more pointless patrolling or useless training of skills that are only needed for the violent life of a warrior.” His gaze slid lazily towards Russetfur and Littlecloud as he added, “And just as the time of warriors has ended, so ends the time of deputies, and leaders, and medicine cats.” The scrawny deputy bristled, while Littlecloud flattened his ears back, looking stunned. “No cat must be valued above any other. Any cat can learn to heal their own ills with herbs, just as any cat can learn to hunt for themselves. In this future of ours, all knowledge must be shared.”

     Littlecloud gaped at the loner for a few moments, before bowing his head, looking defeated. Shrewpaw felt a surge of horror. It was clear that Sol was eager to remove the only other respected cats to challenge him from power. As long as speaking of StarClan was forbidden, and herb knowledge was shared among every cat, there was no reason for the Clan to turn to Littlecloud. The only one they would turn to was Sol.

     “As long as we rely on ourselves, and not on the lies of the dead, our future will be a bright one,” Sol promised. “Trust in your own minds, and you will be led right. In the days to come, I will show you the way forward.” With a final flick of his tail, the tortoiseshell tom leaped down from the Tall Branch, followed quickly by Blackfoot and Whitewater. Stunned silence followed the end of the meeting. The crowd parted silently to let Sol pass. While the tortoiseshell headed for the far side of the camp, Blackfoot and Whitewater came to stand before Shrewpaw. “Can we talk?” the white tom murmured.

     Rage seared through Shrewpaw's pelt, but the pleading gleam in her mother's good eye kept her from snarling her reply. Instead, she gave a stiff nod. She followed behind as her parents led her out into the forest.

     As soon as they were out of earshot of the camp, Shrewpaw couldn't hold it in any longer. “How can Spiderfoot be gone?” she demanded. “What happened? What did he say to you?” Confusion and hurt and anger were churning together inside of her belly, too tangled and intense for her to sort apart. _How could he leave us?_ The words kept repeating over and over in her mind. _How could he leave_ me _?_

     Blackfoot sighed. The group came to a halt in a small clearing. Blackfoot and Whitewater sat together, Shrewpaw standing in front of them. “He came to us last night in our den, around moonhigh,” the white tom murmured. Grief was glowing in his amber eyes. “He said he needed to talk, and it was important. That's when... that's when he told us he was leaving.”

     The tom ducked his head, seeming too overwhelmed to go on. Whitewater pressed against his side, touching her nose briefly to his cheek before looking back to Shrewpaw. The apprentice felt sick to her stomach as she watched her parents, seeing just how broken down they were by the loss of their son. “Spiderfoot said that he's been thinking about it for a long time, and that he's even snuck off to a nearby twolegplace once or twice to talk with the local kittypets,” she told Shrewpaw. “He said that he loved us, but that he wasn't happy living the life of a warrior, and he couldn't stay any longer. He just wants the kind of peaceful life he's seen in twolegplace.”

     “I didn't know,” Blackfoot murmured. There was a dull glaze to his eyes, and his tail was trembling. “All of this time, I never knew how unhappy he was. I was his _father,_ I should have seen, I should have done _something_...”

     Whitewater pressed her muzzle against Blackstar's neck, giving a small, comforting purr. “We both should have seen,” she murmured. She turned back to Shrewpaw, adding, “He told us to tell you that he wanted to tell you that he was leaving, but he didn't want to make you angry. That he loves you, and he'll miss you, but he knows that you'll be happy as long as you have your Clan.”

     “But... but how could he _leave?_ ” Shrewpaw demanded. Hurt was hanging heavy in her heart, and her mind was racing with confusion, but anger was starting to creep through her pelt, overpowering everything else she was feeling. “He left his Clan, he left _us_ , his _family_ , to become a... a stinking _kittypet!_ ”

     Blackfoot sighed. “I don't know,” he murmured. “I just know that I've failed him. I should have done something, but I didn't, and now my son has left me.” The tom closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, something determined blazing in their depths. “I failed him, but I won't fail you,” he said in a stronger mew. “I won't let StarClan take you away from me too.”

     He took a step towards his daughter, but she jerked away sharply, her tail lashing behind her. “StarClan didn't take Spiderfoot away,” she hissed. “He did that himself. But now you've taken away _everything_ that matters, and you've let that mange-ridden rogue rule this Clan, like he has any right to stand beside us!” Her entire pelt was trembling with rage. “You've ruined this Clan! How could you?”

     Without waiting for a reply, she whipped around, hurtling away into the forest, even as her parents yowled after her. She tore through the woods, rage fueling her as she crashed through the sparse undergrowth. A particularly large pine tree caught her eye as she ran; she hared towards it, then launched herself onto the trunk with a mighty bound, digging her claws deep into the bark. In a matter of moments she had swarmed up the trunk and onto a higher-up branch thick enough to hold her weight. She could hear the calls of her parents on the forest floor below, but soon those faded, and she was left alone once more.

     Once she was lying on the branch, she felt her fevered energy fade, leaving only angry thoughts behind. Her mind was still reeling from everything that had happened. She had known that Spiderfoot was a coward, and weak, but to abandon his Clan, his family... and all to become a _kittypet._ A weak, sniveling, StarClan-foresaken kittypet, just about the lowest thing a cat could possibly be. Kittypets were nothing more than the pitiful playthings of their twolegs, begging to eat food that looked like droppings, sleeping on stinking cushions, letting twolegs stroke them and coo at them, giving up their freedom and any of the pride a cat should have to live like spoiled kits. And that was what Spiderfoot had chosen? How _could_ he? She closed her eyes, feeling a grief shuddering through her pelt. She had supported him. She had loved him. Didn't that mean anything to him? How could he leave her without even telling her why?

     Slowly, anger and hurt began to harden in her gut, swirling together and deepening into a new feeling of hatred. Spiderfoot had turned his back on everything that a cat should truly value. In the end, he had proved his doubting Clanmates right. All along he had been nothing more than a filthy traitor. He wasn't worth her grief, or the grief of any of her Clanmates. She had loved him once, but he had picked his side, no matter what it meant for the rest of his family. Fury surged through her pelt, and her claws dug deeper into the bark. She would never forgive him for what he had done, and she would never let herself forget what was truly important, and what the real threat was to her Clan.

     A snarl ripped itself from Shrewpaw's jaws. She dug her claws into the bark, feeling anger pulse through her pelt. She had to leave thoughts of her brother behind, he wasn't worth her time right now – though she must never forget his treachery. Sol was a much more immediate concern. She had to focus on him, and doing whatever little she could to stop him from destroying her Clan. Whatever Spiderfoot had chosen, she was a loyal cat of ShadowClan, and she would do whatever it took to protect them from rogues and halfbloods that wanted to tear it down.

     With a final, decisive lash of her tail, Shrewpaw lowered herself back onto the trunk and slithered down to the ground. She stalked away from the tree without a backwards glance. Sol was right about one thing – she couldn't look back. She had to look to ShadowClan's future if she was going to be able to preserve it. No matter what her father or Sol said, she was going to keep training, and one day, she would be a warrior to make her Clan proud. And then nothing would ever be able to threaten her Clan again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you this chapter wouldn't take long. :P
> 
> So yeah, this is the scene I've been looking forward to writing for a while. Spiderfoot has decided to leave ShadowClan to become a kittypet. Remember when I said I based part of the plot of this off of something Kate said on BlogClan? Well, this is what I meant. Some time ago, someone asked Kate whatever became of Spiderfoot, and she mentioned that he didn't seem to enjoy being a warrior and might've left to become a kittypet at some point. That comment of hers was part of what inspired me to write this fic and gave me some of the ideas for it.
> 
> Of course, I've still tried to make the plot my own, and Shrewfoot's characterization is all mine, and how her character arc has tied in with her brothers'. I just wanna give credit where credit is due. ^^ Anyway, so yeah, Spiderfoot left to become a kittypet, and he did it without saying goodbye to his sister, though I can't really blame him for that. :P It's not /quite/ the end of Spiderfoot's story, we'll get a bit more closure on him, but that's all I'm gonna say for now. :P
> 
> At any rate, in this 'verse, that's the breaking point that makes Blackstar totally give up on StarClan and turn control of ShadowClan over to Sol, as well as changing his name. I do feel really bad for him, even if he isn't my favorite leader and I don't approve of some of his prejudices. Shrewpaw isn't having any of it, though, and her anger and hurt at her brother for leaving the Clan has really effected her.
> 
> It was definitely interesting writing for Sol and trying to get the way he talks right, and showing his takeover of ShadowClan from a ShadowClan perspective this time.
> 
> Next chapter probably won't take very long either, we'll see. ^^


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A half moon after Sol arrives, something changes...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Eight

     The first thing that Shrewpaw noticed when she woke up was how empty the den was. Redpaw still had his back pressed against Shrewpaw's, Scorchpaw was beside her tail, and Owlpaw was snoring and twitching in his sleep nearby, but Flamepaw, Tigerpaw, and Dawnpaw's nests were all empty. She lifted her head, blinking in confusion. Dawn had barely broken over the forest. Why would the three newest apprentices be awake yet? After a moment, though, annoyance replaced suspicion. In the half moon since Sol had taken over, cats weren't calling themselves warriors anymore, and everyone was expected to hunt for themselves. Was it really a surprise that some cats were no longer sleeping in the right dens?

     Meowing from outside of the den drew her attention away. Shrewpaw rose to her paws, careful not to rouse Redpaw or Scorchpaw in the process, and headed for the outside. As she pushed her way out of the den, she noticed a group of cats gathered at the far edge of camp, whispering to each other with worried expressions. Curious, she headed over to them. “What's going on?” she asked.

     Kinkfur glanced at Shrewpaw, her green eyes glowing with worry. “It's Tawnypelt,” she confessed to the apprentice. “She wasn't in her den this morning, and her nest smells like she hasn't been there for a while.” Oakfur, Toadfoot, and Applefur, who were gathered with the spiky-furred warrior, shared a worried glance.

     Shrewpaw's hackles began to bristle. “Her kits aren't in their nests anymore either,” she recalled. Kinkfur's eyes widened.

     “They might have just gone out to hunt,” Applefur mewed, though she seemed unsure of her own words. “The early cat catches the bird, after all, and hunting has been hard for everyone since... well, you know.” The she-cat trailed off, suddenly looking uneasy.

     Shrewpaw felt hunger tighten in her own belly. Ever since cats had been instructed only to hunt for themselves, it had become harder for every cat to stay well-fed. Shrewpaw was a decent hunter, so she got by alright, but some cats like Snaketail were being greedier about prey. More than once Shrewpaw had gone back to a catch only to find that it had been stolen. Though she was getting by alright, things were definitely worse for the elders and the younger cats who couldn't hunt yet, and for the less skilled hunters. Several cats were starting to show their ribs through their pelts.

     Kinkfur shrugged, but Oakfur snorted, shaking his head. “Tawnypelt is no fool,” he grunted. Shrewpaw recalled hearing once that the brown tom had been Tawnypelt's mentor. “If she wanted to make a break for it, she knows that early morning while Sol is still asleep is the best time to do it.”

     The rest of the cats stared at him in shock. “Do you really think Tawnypelt left the Clan?” Applefur whispered, her eyes wide. Shrewpaw felt her own pelt bristling in shock.

     “Why else would she leave so early in the morning with her kits?” Oakfur huffed. He rose to his paws, stretching out his legs one by one as he did. “I'm telling you, she's made a run for it. Can't say I blame her, to be honest. Sol's made a mess of things here.”

     “Hush!” Kinkfur hissed, eyes wide with sudden panic. There were sounds from inside the warriors den, and a few moments later, more cats pushed their way out. To Shrewpaw's dismay, Sol was among them, and soon Blackfoot and Whitewater were out of their den as well and had joined the quickly-growing crowd.

     Every cat fell silent as Sol approached the crowd. Though his expression was as mild as ever, there was a certain stiffness to the twitch of his tail that spoke of annoyance. “Now now,” he began in his usual soothing rumble. “What's this I hear about Tawnypelt?”

     Shrewpaw opened her jaws to make some excuse, but Snaketail beat her to it. “She wasn't in her nest this morning, and her scent is stale,” he hurried to tell Sol. Shrewpaw held back a hiss of irritation. Many cats had become disillusioned with Sol since hunting had gotten so hard, but Snaketail still acted like his loyal little lackey. It made her sick.

     “Her kits are gone too,” Redpaw added.

     Something like anger blazed in Sol's eyes, but the expression was gone as quickly as it had arrived. “I see,” Sol murmured. Blackfoot had stiffened in his spot in the crowd, worry glowing in his eyes. Sol glanced briefly at the white tom, then his gaze slid to where a certain tabby stood in the crowd. “Rowanclaw, did you know anything about this?” he asked in a careful mew.

     Rowanclaw lifted his chin. His expression was neutral, but Shrewpaw thought she detected something uneasy in the twitch of his tail. “No,” he answered in a clipped mew. “Tawnypelt told me nothing.”

      _Liar,_ Shrewpaw thought. He was clearly hiding whatever he knew from Sol. But as little as she liked Rowanclaw and his choice in mate, she had no intention of pointing out his lies to Sol. Tawnypelt might be annoying, but Sol was a monster. She would never betray her to him.

     Sol didn't seem entirely convinced of his answer either. He fixed his intense gaze on Rowanclaw for several moments, but when the ginger tom refused to back down, he turned away with a brief flick of his tail. “Very well,” he mewed in a stronger tone. He lifted his chin, addressing the entire crowd now. “Then we must go and search for her. No doubt she has gone to ThunderClan to plead for shelter there – we can't let her give further strength to the warrior code by giving them strong young cats to serve as warriors.”

      _You mean you don't want to lose power over ShadowClan cats by letting them leave,_ Shrewpaw thought with disgust. She suspected the only reason he'd let Spiderfoot leave in the first place was because he was the leader's son, and his departure had clearly rattled the Clan's faith in the warrior code. Now that he had that control, more cats leaving only weakened his hold on the Clan. However, she knew better than to voice her thoughts on the matter, not here in front of the crowd. She would have to save that for later.

     “I’ll help you look for her,” Crowfrost growled, a few cats echoing him. Sol nodded his approval. Despite her dislike of the tortoiseshell, Shrewpaw couldn’t help but spare a quick prayer for her. _Let her be far enough ahead that Sol and his cats won’t find her,_ she prayed silently to the spirits she was no longer allowed to acknowledge. _The last thing we need is more cats under Sol’s power._

     While the search patrol got ready to leave, Shrewpaw noticed her father slipping off to his den. Anger hardened in her gut. She left the crowd behind, striding towards the leader’s den and slipping inside after her father.

     Blackfoot whirled around as she pushed into the den, seeming surprised. “Oh, hello Shrewpaw,” he rumbled, eyes glittering warily. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

     Shrewpaw didn’t bother with a response. “Are you happy now?” she hissed, her lip curled and her tail lashing behind her. “That makes four cats who have left the Clan in the last moon. Keep it up like this, and there won't be a Clan in a few moons!”

     The tom stared at her in shock, his ears flying back. “Now, hang on-”

     “Sol is destroying this Clan, Father,” Shrewpaw pushed on, ignoring her father's attempt to respond. “Cats are going hungry now that we're hunting for ourselves rather than the Clan, and we can't be comfortable living together and trusting each other with no warrior code to tie us together.”

     Blackfoot lashed his tail. “Spiderfoot didn't leave because of Sol,” he pointed out.

     The familiar feeling of anger towards her brother surged through Shrewpaw, but she pushed it back. “No, he didn't,” she growled. “But you can bet that Tawnypelt and her kits did. And if you let Sol keep this up, she won't be the only one.”

     Fear suddenly blazed in Blackfoot's eyes. “Why?” he rasped. “Are you thinking of leaving?”

     Outrage seared through Shrewpaw. “Of course not!” she spat, arching her back in fury. Blackfoot seemed surprised by her passionate response. “I'm a _ShadowClan_ cat! I would _never_ abandon my Clan, no matter what I feel about how it's being led. I'm not a coward – I'm staying to help my Clan, not running off at the first sign of trouble.” Blackfoot opened his jaws to argue, but Shrewpaw kept going, lashing her tail. “But if you keep insisting on letting that mangy rogue parade himself around like a leader and force our warriors to give up the warrior code, I guarantee that more cats are going to leave.”

     “What would you have me do?” Blackfoot rasped. Grief was glowing in the tom's eyes, and his entire body seemed to droop, his head lowered and tail laid limply on the ground. She had never seen her father look more defeated – but now, the sight only filled her with anger. “You've seen it for yourself. The time of the Clans is over. How can we trust in a code that can't protect us from all of the suffering our Clan has been through? Sol is right, the sun disappearing was a sign that the era of the Clans has finished. All we can do now is trust in ourselves, and for each cat to do the best for themselves.”

     Shrewpaw bared her fangs, hissing in frustration. “That's all a load of foxdung,” she spat. “Nothing about the warrior code has changed. I don't know what the sun disappearing meant, but I doubt that rogue has any more idea than I do. He just wants to use it as an excuse to destroy everything that our Clan stands for!”

     “He's helped our Clan,” Blackfoot argued, but there was no bite behind his words. The leader looked exhausted, as though the strain of the last half-moon had drained him entirely. “He's shown us a better way to live.”

     “A better way for the most selfish cats, maybe,” Shrewpaw snarled. “And for traitors who want to see our Clan break up. But no true Clan would ever want to live like this! It's disgusting, scrounging around, stealing each other's prey just so we can fill our own bellies! We can't go on like this!” She took a step towards her father, staring desperately at him. “Father, you're our leader,” she mewed. “It's your responsibility to do what is best for the Clan. You have to stop Sol from destroying ShadowClan!”

     Blackfoot stared at his daughter with a weary expression for several moments. “I'm sorry,” he finally murmured. “I know what you expect of me, and I never wanted to disappoint you. But I won't lead ShadowClan through this suffering any longer. It's over.”

     The brief spark of hope that she'd felt was extinguished, replaced by a blaze of fury. “Coward!” she spat, causing Blackfoot to take a step back in alarm. She never would have raised her voice to Blackfoot like this when she was young, but now, her concern for her Clan outweighed her respect for her father and leader. “It's only over because you're too much of a coward to lead your Clan the way that they deserve! You've betrayed ShadowClan by refusing to guide them! Everything that Sol's doing – it's _your_ fault for letting him!”

     Before Blackstar could respond, Shrewpaw whirled around and bounded out of the den, racing across the camp and into the forest. Anger burned under her pelt. She had always looked up to her father as a young cat, but now he had betrayed ShadowClan, and her. She couldn't look to him anymore. Instead, she would have to find her own way to serve ShadowClan.

     She only hoped that Sol didn't find a way to destroy her Clan before she had a chance to help them.

**SCENEBREAK**

     Shrewpaw stayed away from camp for the rest of the day, opting to stay out hunting and training with Ratscar rather than returning to camp and facing her father again. She stayed out until the sun began to set, waiting for Ratscar to reach camp first before arriving herself to avoid suspicion.

     Cats were beginning to arrive back at camp from their hunting for the day when Shrewpaw arrived. Several cats were scattered around the camp, eating prey and grooming themselves, though cats still weren't sitting together. Some of the unlucky hunters were watching their eating Clanmates enviously.

     Shrewpaw crossed over to the apprentice's den, carrying a frog in her jaws. She was ready to push into the den to eat in her nest when a nearby rustling alerted her. The apprentice glanced up to see her father and Littlecloud pushing their way through the thorn entrance into camp. Her tail lashed irritably. She had stayed out of camp all day to get some actual work done and to avoid her father. The last thing she wanted was another row with him now that he was back.

     She started to turn back to the apprentice's den, hoping for a quick escape, but Blackfoot didn't follow her as she'd expected. Instead, he bounded towards his den and clambered up onto the Tall Branch. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Tall Branch for a Clan meeting!” he yowled.

     Shrewpaw froze in shock. She hadn't heard the words for a real Clan meeting in the entire half moon since Sol had joined the Clan. Wary, but hopeful, she dropped her prey and began walking towards the Tall Branch, joining the crowd slowly gathering underneath of it. To her surprise, Sol was among the crowd, not on the Tall Branch beside Blackfoot. Something in his expression seemed irritated, but he was covering it well. Littlecloud went to sit directly beneath the Tall Branch, facing his Clanmates. There was joy blazing in the medicine cat's eyes.

     Blackfoot held his head high as he waited for his Clanmates to gather beneath him. The broken, defeated creature that Shrewpaw had argued with that morning was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the white tom had a blazing strength in his eyes, all of the pride and bearing that Shrewpaw remembered from his youth restored. The cautious hope in Shrewpaw's chest began to grow.

     Once every cat was gathered, Blackfoot called out in a strong tone, “Cats of ShadowClan, I have made a grave mistake. I believed that our ancestors had given up on us. I believed that they had turned away from us a long time ago, and had left ShadowClan to suffer our ills alone. But I was wrong.” Shocked murmurs spread through the crowd, but the white tom spoke over them. “Spirits of StarClan showed themselves to me and Littlecloud this evening. We went out into the forest to speak with Tawnypelt's kits, so they could come back to the Clan, but while we were walking, the forest began to fall all around us!”

     Alarmed cries rose from the crowd. “The forest fell? What do you mean?” Whitewater called out. Her one good eye was glowing with fear. Shrewpaw knew that she hadn't agreed with all of the changes Blackfoot had made to the Clan, but she hadn't spoken out publicly against her mate. Now, however, hope mixed with fear in her eye as Blackstar spoke of StarClan's sign.

     “The trees began to fall to the ground all around us,” Blackfoot explained. “Littlecloud and I were scraped by the falling branches, but none of the trees fell on us. Tigerpaw disappeared, and then a voice spoke to us, telling us that more cats would disappear if we didn't return to our warrior ancestors, and that the forest would fall.”

     Joy spread through every hair on Shrewpaw's pelt. _StarClan has spoken to him at last._ Then she saw Sol stiffen. “I see why you would be shaken by what you have seen,” he called out to the leader, and the crowd, in a rumbling mew. His expression was as calm as ever. “StarClan was cruel indeed to threaten you with the loss of an innocent young cat if you refuse to worship them. But it was an idle threat, nothing more. StarClan holds no more sway over the falling of trees than living cats.”

     “It wasn't a threat,” Blackfoot growled. Shrewpaw felt a fierce rush of satisfaction as she noted how her father glared at Sol. “And it wasn't a lie. After the voices spoke, Raggedstar and Runningnose appeared before us.” Shrewpaw recognized the names of the old leader and medicine cat from nursery tales. “They told us that a darkness _had_ swept over ShadowClan, like the darkness that covered the sun. But the darkness wasn't a signal of the end of the Clans. The darkness was _you,_ Sol!”

     Accusing yowls broke out at Blackfoot's words. Before, the cats of ShadowClan had been too afraid to voice their hatred of Sol. But now that their leader had abandoned their support of the tom, the fear of the rest of the Clan had faded. They yowled their loathing at the tortoiseshell, crying out curses and insults for the tom who had nearly destroyed them. Shrewpaw added her voice to the rest of the crowd, her heart soaring with joy. “Traitor!” she yowled. “Rogue! Mange-pelt!”

     An ugly look of anger had appeared on Sol's face as the crowd began crying out at him, but it disappeared almost immediately, replaced by his usual calm expression. This time, however, Shrewpaw could see the cracks in it. “I'm sure that those spirits were eager to turn you against me,” he said in a smooth purr. “They have seen ShadowClan discovering their own freedom, and it has made them afraid of losing control of you. But you must not let them fool you.”

     “The only one who has fooled anyone here is you, Sol,” Blackfoot snarled. “I was weak, and I allowed myself to be fooled by you because you gave me the answers I wanted to hear. You were clever, Sol, but I've finally seen the truth. Our ancestors _do_ care about us. The spirits told me that a brightness will shine on ShadowClan for moons to come. They walk beside us still, and they made the trees themselves fall to show me that they were still there, and that they still watch over us.”

     Rustling from the camp's entrance drew Shrewpaw's attention away from her father's speech. Three young cats pushed their way into the clearing. Shrewpaw was surprised to recognize Tawnypelt's kits. “We're here, Blackstar!” Tigerpaw called out, leading his littermates towards the crowd. Rowanclaw pushed through the crowd to reach the apprentices, purring loudly as he covered his kits with licks.

     A purr rumbled in Blackfoot's throat. “Good,” he rumbled. “I'll send Littlecloud to fetch your mother soon. But first, there is something I must do.” The tom drew himself up, the righteous fury of a leader blazing in his eyes. “From this moment on, I take back the name that my ancestors bestowed on me when they gave me the leadership of ShadowClan. I am Blackstar once more.” The tom shifted his gaze to Sol, glaring his fury at the tortoiseshell. “And as the rightful leader of ShadowClan, I, Blackstar, send the loner Sol into exile. From now on, he is no longer welcome on ShadowClan territory, and must never again be allowed to speak with or influence ShadowClan cats.” Mocking jeers rose from the crowd, directed at the disgraced loner. “He must leave this camp immediately, and leave our territory by sunhigh tomorrow. If any cat sees him in our territory after that, he is to be treated as an enemy and a threat to ShadowClan, and is to be chased off or killed.”

     Shock blazed in Sol's eyes, and for a moment, there was anger there as well. His voice shook slightly with anger as he mewed, “You are making a great mistake, Blackfoot. I can help you. Please, don't turn your back on everything that we have worked to accomplish”

     The white leader bared his fangs. “My name is _Blackstar,_ ” he spat. “And I will no longer listen to your bile.” He drew himself up to his full weight. “Warriors, chase the traitor away,” he ordered.

     Shrewpaw lowered into a crouch, ready to join her Clanmates in the chase. But before any cat could advance on Sol, the tom mewed smoothly, “That won't be necessary” The brief show of shock and anger had ended. Now, Sol's expression was as composed as ever. “I never meant to cause any unhappiness here. If I am no longer wanted, then I will leave. I would not force my company on any cat.” With a great show of dignity, the tom began slowly padding towards the thorn entrance. Just before he reached it, he paused, turning back towards the crowd. “It pains me to see just how close ShadowClan came to realizing their own freedom, only to turn away and return to the comforting lies they have been told,” he rumbled. “I will go, but I will always be a friend to ShadowClan. If you ever seek the truth again, I will be here.”

     With a final flick of his tail, the loner turned and pushed through the thorn entrance, leaving the camp behind. The crowd watched him go in stunned silence. Shrewpaw was still in shock about what had just happened. Just that morning, she had thought her Clan was doomed to be destroyed by Sol. Now, he was gone. It didn't feel real, but the longer he was gone, the greater the joy grew in Shrewpaw's chest. ShadowClan was finally free of the treacherous rogue. Things could finally go back to the way they were supposed to be.

     Blackstar lifted his chin, drawing his Clan's attention back to him with a deep, rumbling meow. “I have been a great fool,” he admitted. “I nearly let a loner destroy our Clan. For that, I am more sorry than I can say. But I know that with StarClan watching over us, with the warrior code to guide us, and with our loyalty to each other, ShadowClan will rise again.”

     Meows of agreement rose from the crowd. Shrewpaw saw Russetfur lift her muzzle and call out, “ShadowClan!” The rest of the crowd quickly took up the cheer. “ShadowClan! ShadowClan!” Shrewpaw added her yowl to the rest, feeling joy and pride blazing through her pelt as her Clan was finally revived. “ShadowClan! ShadowClan!”

     Blackstar looked on the cheering crowd with pride blazing in his eyes. After allowing them to cheer for a while, he lashed his tail for silence. The cheering slowly fell away. “Tawnypelt's kits have already returned to us, and will be assigned their mentors tonight so that they can properly begin their warrior training,” he rumbled. His gaze flicked to Flamepaw as he added, “Though I suspect one will find his paws following a different path.” Flamepaw ducked his head shyly, and Littlecloud glanced at the ginger tabby, giving an encouraging purr. “And once this meeting is done, I will send Littlecloud to fetch Tawnypelt back from ThunderClan. However, there is one more thing I must do first.”

     Shrewpaw stiffened in shock as Blackstar's gaze shifted to her. “There is one cat who spoke more loudly than any other in defense of the warrior code, and who was willing to argue with her own father and leader to defend the warrior code. This cat has faced more obstacles than any other in the path to becoming a warrior – but that ends tonight.” Disbelief and joy and shock were all churning together inside of her, making her feel dizzy on her paws from the force of it. Blackstar's gaze shifted briefly to Ratscar, who stood near Shrewpaw in the crowd. “I know you two have been training secretly since Sol took over,” he rumbled. “You hid it well, but I could tell when my daughter was sore from a fighting session. So I ask – do you think she's ready to become a warrior.”

     “I've never known a cat more ready,” Ratscar replied, pride heavy in his mew. “She's the most dedicated cat I've ever known, and she's one of the best hunters and fighters in the Clan. She deserves it.” He glanced at Shrewpaw, joy shining in his eyes.

     “Very well,” Blackstar rumbled. “Then Shrewpaw, step forward.”

     Still feeling dizzy, Shrewpaw padded through the crowd until she was standing beneath the Tall Branch. She could feel her entire pelt starting to tremble with joy as Blackstar leaped down to stand before her. The day she had waited for for so long, that she had feared would never come, was finally here. Everything she had worked for had been for this moment.

     “I, Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” Blackstar rumbled. Shrewpaw closed her eyes, drinking in the joy of the moment, and of hearing those words. “She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” He lifted his chin, meowing, “Shrewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     Shrewpaw paused for a moment. Through the joy of her Clan finally being revived, and earning her warrior name, there was an anger she hadn't forgotten. Her mind shifted to thoughts of the cat who should have been present at the ceremony. Something she had been contemplating since he'd left came to mind, and with a final, small nod, she decided on her course.

     “I do,” she called out in a strong mew. Before Blackstar could continue, she spoke again. “But I have a request.” Uneasy murmurs rose from the crowd, but after a pause, Blackstar nodded for her to continue. “I wish to choose my own warrior name. I wish to be called Shrewfoot – after my brother.”

     Blackstar's eyes lit up with surprise. After a moment, though, his expression softened into one of love and pride. “Very well,” he purred. “Shrewpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Shrewfoot. StarClan honors your dedication and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.”

     Pride blazed through Shrewfoot's pelt. She lowered her head, allowing Blackstar to lay his chin atop it. While she licked his shoulder respectfully, she could hear her Clanmates beginning to pick up the cheer of, “Shrewfoot! Shrewfoot! Shrewfoot!” She could hear Ratscar and Whitewater yowling louder than the rest, crying out their joy for the new warrior, as well as the cheers of the rest of her friends and family.

     A few of the yowls, however, had a mocking edge. Shrewfoot knew exactly why. Spiderfoot had abandoned his Clan to become a kittypet – they saw her taking his name as an act of sympathy, or perhaps love, for her brother, and looked down on her for it. She didn't mind. She didn't mind either that her parents probably saw it as an act of love for their lost son, and were likely happy about it. What they thought of her choice didn't matter. She knew exactly why she had done what she had, and what it meant.

      _I wish you were here to see this, brother,_ Shrewfoot thought viciously. Ugly hatred welled up in her gut at the thought of her traitor of a brother. _You were never worthy of your warrior name – but I've stolen it now. And I will prove myself worthy of it as you_ never _were._

     The new warrior lifted her head proudly. She was finally a full warrior of ShadowClan. She had suffered betrayal, she had been held back by sickness and cowardice, and she had seen the loyalty of her Clanmates tested. She knew now what mattered most, and just how cowardice and impurity served as dangers to her Clan. Everything she had learned would stay with her from now on. She was a warrior at last, and she would defend her Clan from anything that ever threatened it again.

     No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we finally see the end of Sol's reign over ShadowClan. ^^ The sign Blackstar describes should be familiar to anyone who's read Long Shadows, though of course Blackstar does't know the whole truth of it. I know Littlecloud told ThunderClan that Sol chose to leave himself, but the POV character for that chapter believed it to be a lie, and so do I. So as I see it, Blackstar told Littlecloud not to reveal what really happened so as not to make ShadowClan appear weak.
> 
> And in this chapter, we also finally see Shrewfoot earn her warrior name. :D When I thought about how Spiderfoot and Shrewfoot ended up with the same suffix, this seemed like a really fitting and chilling way to address it. Shrewfoot really has taken a turn towards a darker path now, with her belief that non pure Clan cats are immediately lesser and less loyal, and that any cat who doesn't believe in the warrior code is a traitor.
> 
> Now, this chapter might seem like it's sort of wrapping up the story. And that's because it is wrapping up this particular chapter of Shrewfoot's life. The next two chapters, the final two, are going to be a little different. There's going to be a big time skip for the next chapter, and while so far we've been dealing with events that took place in the canon series, for the next ones we'll be jumping forward to events in the main books of EOTW. For those who have only read this novella and haven't read any of the rest of my fan verse, you might get a touch lost, but I'll do my best to explain what's happening. ^^
> 
> Anyway, the next chapter likely won't take long to write, and then there's only one more before this novella is done. :D


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several years later, Shrewfoot is determined to protect her Clan...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Nine

     Far above the pine forest, the late leaf-fall sun shone down on the trees, peering out between the thickening clouds. No snow had yet fallen, but the chill of leafbare had already begun to settle over the woods. The cold season would soon be upon the forest.

     Though the sun was only beginning to lower in the sky, cats were already returning to camp from their patrols. Soon every cat had returned. It was unusual for the camp to be filled so early in the day, but that was exactly the way she had planned it.

     The gray warrior sat by the edge of the clearing. Seasons had passed, and more scars parted her gray fur, but the moons hadn't sapped any of her warrior strength. Time had only increased her patience and her intelligence - and the strength of her beliefs. She was at the height of her power. And soon, the plan she had worked so hard to put into place would finally pay off, and she would finally be able to save her Clan from tyranny.

     Finally, the sign she had been waiting for arrived. A massive tabby tom had been eating prey with a cream she-cat near the warrior's den; but now, he left her behind to pad towards the leader's den. The gray warrior waited until he was inside, then began padding towards the den herself.

     “Shrewfoot!” The gray cat turned to see the cream warrior padding towards her. Suspicion was glittering in her eyes; she subtly placed herself between Shrewfoot and the leader's den. “What do you want with Tigerstar?”

     Shrewfoot narrowed her eyes. It was clear that Dawnpelt wasn't going to let her into the den without causing a fuss. But that wasn't unexpected – it just meant that it was finally time to begin her plan.

     She sneered briefly at the cream she-cat – then, before, Dawnpelt could take in what was happening, she lifted her muzzle, parting her jaws in a yowl. “Attack!” she cried out.

     Dawnpelt only had a moment to widen her eyes with the realization of what was coming. Then the attack began. All around the clearing, cats who had been sitting and sharing tongues together in groups suddenly turned on each other with snarls. Treeshadow and Stoneclaw, who had been sharing a pigeon with Marshcloud, suddenly turned on the she-cat with unsheathed claws. Marshcloud scrambled with defend herself with a confused yowl. Pinenose burst from the nursery and tackled Dewfrost, who screeched her shock as she was bowled over. Snowbird and Smokefoot made quick work of knocking a confused Applefur to the ground, then raced towards Dawnpelt. Shrewfoot’s rebellion had begun.

     Shrewfoot tried to push past Dawnpelt, but the cream warrior lunged at her, pelt fluffed out in fury. “What in StarClan's name are you doing?” she demanded. “I'm your Clanmate, foxheart!” She lashed out at Shrewfoot with unsheathed claws. Shrewfoot easily dodged the blow. She slipped to one side, kicking out with one paw and sweeping Dawnpelt's legs out from under her. As the cream warrior crashed to the ground, Snowbird and Smokefoot hurried to pin her down.

     At first, the other warriors had been so stunned by the attack from their own Clanmates to react. But now, the shock had faded, and the fury of battle began to glow in their eyes. Applefur quickly scrambled back to her paws, joining Dewfrost in her attack on Pinenose. Marshcloud snarled her fury as she whirled on Stoneclaw and Treeshadow, trying desperately to keep up with fighting both cats. She tried to break free to go and help Dawnpelt, but Treeshadow block her way. The cats of ShadowClan were fighting hard to defend themselves – but they were at a disadvantage. Shrewfoot's supporters were better trained, better fed, and better motivated. They didn't have a prayer of stopping them.

      _It's working,_ Shrewfoot thought. _Time to move._ She stared down at Dawnpelt, who was still being held down by Smokefoot and Snowbird. “Sorry Dawnpelt,” Shrewfoot sneered, lifting her chin. “But I have some business with Tigerstar – and we're not to be disturbed.”

     She started towards the leader's den, but a nearby yowl distracted her. When the fight had started, the apprentices had hung back, looking too stunned to participate. Most of them were mentored by Shrewfoot's supporters, and Shrewfoot had been hoping that some would follow their mentors into battle. But now that the shock had worn off, it seemed that they had made a different choice. Stripedpaw and Smokepaw leaped into battle, tearing Stoneclaw away from Marshcloud. After a moment's hesitation, Adderpaw joined them.

     Shrewfoot started towards the leader's den again, but a weight crashed into her, nearly knocking her to the ground. She quickly regained her balance and whirled to face her attacker – only to be met with the horrified face of her apprentice. “Shrewfoot, what's happening?” Minkpaw asked. The apprentice was facing her mentor bravely, standing between her and the leader's den, but Shrewfoot could see that her tail was trembling. “Why are you trying to get to Tigerstar?”

     “He's a traitor,” Shrewfoot sniffed. “And now, he has to answer for it.” She looked thoughtfully over her apprentice. Minkpaw was quick and clever, dedicated in her training, and Shrewfoot had grown fond of the young she-cat. Her tone softened as she added, “I didn't want to drag you into this fight when you weren't ready. But I know you care about this Clan, Minkpaw. You've seen what Tigerstar has been doing. Help me to stop him. Just keep any cat from pushing into the den while I'm dealing with him.”

     Minkpaw took a step back, eyes wide with horror. For a moment, she hesitated, seeming conflicted. She glanced back at the leader's den, then back to Shrewfoot. Then the glow in her eyes changed. “I-I can't,” she stammered. “Tigerstar is my leader. And you... you're a traitor.”

     Disappointment stirred in Shrewfoot's gut, but nothing stronger – she had learned long ago not to let the betrayals of others destroy her. “Suit yourself,” she hissed. Before Minkpaw had time to react, Shrewfoot lunged, pinning her apprentice quickly to the ground, then leaped away again before Minkpaw had a chance to right herself. She was finally able to bound the rest of the way to the leader's den and push inside.

     She nearly crashed into Tigerstar on her way inside. The massive leader was already on his paws and trying to push out of the den. “Shrewfoot!” he gasped, his eyes wide. “What's going on out there? Who's attacking us?”

      _At last._ Shrewfoot tensed, her claws sliding from her sheathes as she readied herself for battle. “I am,” she hissed. Before Tigerstar had time to react, Shrewfoot hurled herself at him, sending both cats tumbling to the ground. Tigerstar yowled his shock as the warrior dug her claws into his sides and began slashing at them.

     Seasons had passed since the leadership of Shrewfoot’s father. After the death of Russetfur, he had chosen Rowanclaw as his new deputy, and the ginger tom had succeeded Blackstar after his death. Shrewfoot has always questioned her father’s choice in deputy - Rowanclaw was a good enough warrior, but far too soft on the other Clans, and on his own halfClan spawn. That had only become more obvious when, after the passing of his first deputy, Rowanstar had chosen his own son, Tigerheart, as deputy. An illness had claimed Rowanstar’s lives quickly, leaving the inexperienced Tigerstar as ShadowClan’s new leader.

     The passing seasons had only made Shrewfoot more certain than ever in her mistrust of halfClan cats and non Clanborn cats. Only a cat born with the blood of their Clan in their veins could ever truly be loyal to them. Cats with mixed blood, or lesser nonClan blood, had no place in the Clans. She had known from the start that Tigerstar was a terrible choice for a leader, and the past two moons had only proved her right. The tabby fool had completely ignored the needs of his Clan ever since becoming leader, preferring to start battles to reclaim kits that no other cat wanted, hunting alone to prove his skill rather than helping his Clanmates, and going off exploring beyond the borders rather than expanding his Clan’s hunting grounds.

     He was a horrible leader, and Shrewfoot could no longer stand to see an impure traitor like him destroy her Clan. But this time, she wasn't a helpless apprentice with no sway over the Clan's leadership. She had gathered together her like-minded Clanmates so she could finally stop Tigerstar’s ruinous reign. ShadowClan deserved a pureblooded leader who would attend to their needs and defend their home. Once Tigerstar was dealt with, she would make sure she was that leader for them. Then nothing could ever threaten her Clan from within again.

     Tigerstar had been caught off guard by the initial attack - but with the shock faded, he started giving back as good as he was getting. His forepaws slashed out hard against Shrewfoot’s shoulder, and he shoved his weight against her, pushing her away. In an instant, he was on his paws, and lunging at Shrewfoot with a furious yowl.

     Shrewfoot danced out of reach, whirling on the tabby to slice her claws across his side, but he had already turned back to her, aiming his snapping jaws at her shoulder. She struck faster and managed to sink her jaws into his shoulder fur, striking his neck and shoulder with a series of blows from her front paws. She could feel as her claws tore through the flesh of one ear when she struck out. Before she could really dig her jaws in, however, he had wrapped his front legs around her and was dragging her down into the dirt on her back, quickly pinning her down.

     “Have you lost your mind?” he screeched in her face the moment she was on the ground. She wriggled, trying to break free, but his grip was too strong. She settled for hissing in his face instead. “I’m your leader! How dare you attack me?”

     “You’re no leader,” Shrewfoot spat. “ShadowClan deserves better than you - and I’m going to make sure they get it!”

     Fury blazed in Tigerstar’s eyes. Rather than respond, he dug his claws deeper into Shrewfoot. She yowled at his fangs burrowed into her neck fur. Tigerstar was undoubtedly a fool, but he was a massive and muscular tom, and a force to be reckoned with in battle. She had known what a hard battle she was getting herself into when she had planned the final assault on her leader. But she also knew that, despite his strength and his size, she was the better warrior. She would win this fight - no matter what it took.

     With a burst of new energy, Shrewfoot kicked out hard at the soft parts of Tigerstar’s belly and side, slicing deep with her claws. She thrashed violently to free herself - the second Tigerstar’s jaws loosened, she wrapped her forelegs around him. She shoved her shoulders hard into the ground, then pushed off, using the momentum to flip Tigerstar onto his back while gripping him tight with her claws. Before the leader could right himself, Shrewfoot struck out with her claws and tore them straight across Tigerstar’s throat.

     A gargled cry escaped the tom. He struck out blindly at Shrewfoot, but she easily avoided the blow. She used her weight to keep him pinned and sank her jaws deep into his already-bleeding throat. The tom spasmed a few times, his struggles clearly weakening, before he fell limp under Shrewfoot’s jaws.

     Even with her enemy dead, Shrewfoot refused to loosen her jaws. Tigerstar was a leader - that meant nine lives. He would have to die nine times under her claws before he was gone forever. And she had no intention of letting him put up a fight before managing to kill him again. So while the tom shared dreams with StarClan, she kept digging her jaws in, waiting for him to wake just so he could die again.

     Outside, the battle was still raging on. Shrewfoot could hear the yowls and shrieks of her Clanmates as kin was forced to fight kin. It had been a hard decision, deciding to form a rebel army against her own Clanmates. They weren’t all guilty of Tigerstar’s sins, after all. But she had known it was the only way to have a chance against Tigerstar. She’d given her followers orders not to kill anyone or hurt anyone more than necessary. Once the battle was over and the traitor was dead, Shrewfoot would never have to raise a claw against her own Clanmates again. Not once they were following her as the rightful leader of ShadowClan.

     As she contemplated the battle outside, Tigerstar began to stir beneath her jaws. His eyelids began to flutter open. Shrewfoot readied herself to bite down even harder, but a series of yowls outside the den suddenly distracted her.

     “ThunderClan, attack!”  
     “RiverClan, attack!”  
     “For WindClan!”

     Shrewfoot stiffened in shock. Even over the muffled roar of battle, she was able to recognize the yowls of Mistystar and Bramblestar. Her pelt bristled in new fury. What in StarClan were the leaders of ThunderClan and RiverClan doing here? Even more yowls began to sound in the clearing, and Shrewfoot could hear fear and shock in the cries of her followers. Fear clenched in her gut. With the new arrivals, her followers were sure to be overrun.

     “ _Re-ee-owr!_ ” She was distracted from thoughts of the other Clans by Tigerstar's screech. The tom knocked his head hard against Shrewfoot's, and, before she could stop him, thrashed violently and managed to pull free of Shrewfoot's grasp. The she-cat swayed. Her head was sore and ringing from Tigerstar's blow. She gave it a quick shake, then forced herself to lunge at the tabby, meeting him as his forelegs struck out and tried to grasp at her.

     The two cats struggled for a few moments before Shrewfoot was able to unbalance Tigerstar. He grunted as his shoulder hit the ground hard, and he was sluggish in his struggles. It was clear he was still recovering from the loss of one life. Shrewfoot made quick work of keeping him pinned, and made sure to sink her fangs into his throat before he could pull away again. Tigerstar shrieked his pain.

     “Get off of him!” Claws suddenly hooked into Shrewfoot's pelt. She snarled in rage as she was dragged away from her victim. The warrior whirled on her new enemy, only to find herself face-to-face with a furious Olivenose.

     The tortoiseshell barreled into Shrewfoot and sent her crashing to the ground. “Traitor!” she spat as she dug her claws into Shrewfoot's pelt. The gray warrior snarled in response, scrambling to shake off the tortoiseshell and slashing at her with her claws. Olivenose had never been one of Shrewfoot's favorite cats, but over the past seasons, she had grown to hate the tortoiseshell just as much as her fool of a mate. Olivenose was smart enough to know what a mess Tigerstar was making of leading the Clan, and yet she had continued to support him, serving as both deputy and mate. She deserved just as much punishment as Tigerstar for the state that ShadowClan was in.

     Shrewfoot was quickly able to push the tortoiseshell off of her and whirl back around on her to attack. Olivenose was a powerful warrior – but her belly currently hung heavy with Tigerstar's kits. The younger she-cat was able to overpower the tortoiseshell quickly and pin her to the ground, using Olivenose's clumsy belly against her. Olivenose struck out hard at her jaw, sending pain ringing through Shrewfoot's head, but the gray cat managed to keep Olivenose pinned. “You shouldn't have interfered, halfblood,” she snarled at the deputy.

     Before she could bite down on the tortoiseshell, another weight barreled into her. She scrambled to keep her footing as Tigerstar shoved her away from Olivenose. The massive tabby was bleeding heavily, but he was back on his paws, and he was quick to help Olivenose to hers. Shrewfoot stiffened as both mates turned towards her with bristling hackles. “Give it up, Shrewfoot,” Olivenose snarled, Tigerstar growling beside her. “You can't beat both of us.”

     Fury and fear sang through Shrewfoot's blood. _No. I can't lose this fight._ “I can try!” she screeched. She hurled herself at Tigerstar, trying to unbalance the tom, but he danced out of reach before she could. Olivenose battered at her head and ears with slashing claws, while Tigerstar grabbed her tail between his jaws and pulled hard. While she whirled to face him, Olivenose reared up and bit down on Shrewfoot's back, Tigerstar slashing out at Shrewfoot's muzzle.

     “ _Re-ee-owr!_ ” Shrewfoot was already exhausted from the effort of battling Tigerstar earlier, and now the attack of two cats was too much. She ripped away from Olivenose's jaws with a shriek and hurtled towards the den's entrance, fleeing out into the camp.

     She fled blindly from the den, trying to reach the other side of camp before she was pursued, but she wasn't fast enough. Tigerstar and Olivenose were right on her heels from the moment she left the den. The mates snapped at Shrewfoot's flanks, splitting up to circle around her, racing at her from either side.

     Shrewfoot tried to outrun them and make a break for the thorn tunnel, but cats began to cluster together to block her path. The warrior slowed to a halt, confused. All around her, warriors of all four Clans were moving in on her, muscles tensed and eyes glowing with hatred. Shrewfoot bristled in shock. She could see none of her own followers in the clearing – they all must have fled already. Hatred blazed in her heart as she saw Mistystar and Bramblestar among the crowd, signalling for their warriors to surround Shrewfoot. Bramblestar was as soft on nonClan cats as Firestar before him, and Mistystar was the halfClan daughter of traitors. Neither of them had any place ruling a Clan - how dare they think that they had any right to stop her from saving her own Clan?

    The she-cat chose to ignore the other Clan cats and focused only on her own Clanmates. She swung her gaze around the hollow, searching for a friendly face, anyone, any ShadowClan cat who would spare her a bit of mercy. But every cat that faced her wore an expression of pure loathing.

     For the first time in moons, fear twisted in her gut. Did her Clan truly hate her now for what she had done? She had done this for them. Couldn't they see that? She had hoped that when the battle was won, her Clan would understand why she had resorted to rebellion, and would follow her. But she could only see hatred in the eyes of her Clanmates now. They were looking at her like she was no more than a rat, a stranger and a monster that had threatened them. Horror burned hot through her pelt. _How can own Clan hate me?_

     Breaking from the crowd, Tigerstar strode up to Shrewfoot, every muscle stiff with fury. Shrewfoot drew her chin up, baring her fangs at the leader even as she panted for air. Her wounds stung like fury, and fear was heavy in her heart, but she refused to back down in front of her enemy. “Why, Shrewfoot?” the leader growled. “Why did you betray us like this?”

     “I didn't betray ShadowClan,” Shrewfoot sneered. Even as she attempted to control herself, she could feel her pelt beginning to shake, with fear, with rage, with everything that she was feeling. “I betrayed _you_ , Tigerstar! I betrayed a traitor, a halfClan fool who couldn't lead a rabbit out of its den.” Burning-hot rage seared through her, leaving her shaking with the force of it. “I betrayed _filth!_ ”

     Tigerstar blinked dumbly at her. Fury flared through the she-cat – even after all of this, he still didn't understand how terrible a leader he was. After a moment, indignation glowed in his eyes, and he drew himself up proudly. “I am the rightful ruler of ShadowClan,” he growled. “How dare you speak to me this way?”

     “You have a right to nothing,” Shrewfoot spat. Her tail was lashing and trembling in a wild manner behind her. “You shouldn't even exist. That foxheart of a she-cat should have never joined ShadowClan. Tawnypelt never deserved to be one of us. I always knew she was soft on those ThunderClan fools she called kin. But Rowanstar was a fool, and he had filthy, mix-breed kits with her. You and Dawnpelt, you don't belong here, you never have.”

     She swung her head around, appealing desperately to her Clanmates as she yowled, “ShadowClan used to be great! We were the strongest cats in the forest, every cat feared us, and they were right to fear us. We were as mighty as TigerClan! But then filth like Tawnypelt and her brood were allowed to join us, they poisoned us, contaminated us with filthy blood.” She was desperate to make her Clanmates understand. She had done this for them. _Everything_ she had done, it had always been for ShadowClan. This was her family, her home. They couldn't turn her away. “We can be great again, I can make us great, I can lead the way!” She stared pleadingly out into the crowd, desperate to see sympathy in at least one face.

     But there was no mercy for her in the eyes of her Clanmates. Even her former mentor Ratscar glared at her, sadness and anger mixing together in his eyes, and her apprentice Minkpaw was looking away uncomfortably. Applefur stepped out of the crowd, growling, “No, Shrewfoot. You're the one who doesn't belong.”

     “You're the filth,” Dawnpelt added in a vicious snarl.

     Tigerstar silenced his supporters with a wave of his tail. He stalked towards Shrewfoot, looming over her with a dark expression. She did her best to meet his gaze with a proud look of her own, trying to control the hatred she felt blazing through her entire pelt. “Shrewfoot, you have betrayed your Clan. You attacked your Clanmates, whom you swore to protect, in cold blood, and you defied the warrior code, which you swore to serve. What do you have to say in your defense?”

     Shrewfoot spat, glaring furiously at the traitor that dared to call himself a leader. “I say if ShadowClan can't see why I did what I did, then they're fools, all of them,” she hissed deliberately. The words pained her to say, but she forced them out regardless. “Fools and traitors. I will never live in a ShadowClan that you lead.”

     “Very well.” Tigerstar's amber gaze narrowed. “Since you show no remorse for this blatant treachery, I have no choice.” He lifted his chin, growling, “Shrewfoot, I banish you from ShadowClan. You, and all the cats who would rather follow a rouge traitor than return here, must leave this territory by sundown. If you and yours are seen here after that time, my Clanmates have my permission to kill you.”

      _Banished._ The word was like a blow. Shrewfoot's entire life had been about serving ShadowClan. She had trained for countless moons to be a warrior for them, she had pushed aside her feelings for her family on their behalf, she had been willing to murder for them. And now, after everything she had sacrificed, she was being cast out like some common rogue. Like a _traitor._ For a moment, she could feel her entire pelt trembling, and she wondered whether she had the strength to face a life without serving ShadowClan. And then, from somewhere deep inside, she found a steely determination to hang onto.

     “Fine,” she spat, every word coming out with the chill of ice. “Kill me, if you can. ShadowClan is not the Clan I once knew.” Shrewfoot glared out at the ShadowClan cats around her, her glare settling on each and every cat in turn. She took in their faces, their scents, the memories she had of their lives – and committed herself to hating each and every one of them with as ugly a hatred as she could muster. “You're all fools for following that tom,” she hissed. “I'll make you pay for this, all of you.”

     Shrewfoot drew herself up proudly, then turned away from Tigerstar and began to head towards the thorn tunnel. Still glaring their hate at her, Shrewfoot's former Clanmates parted to let her pass. The she-cat stalked past them without meeting any cat's eye. She strode, slow and deliberate, to the camp's entrance, padding up the ridge and heading into the pine forest beyond. She hesitated only once, after passing through the thorn tunnel. The she-cat lingered beyond the tunnel, giving one last, yearning glance towards the place that had been her home. Then she steeled herself once more and bounded off into the forest, refusing to look back again.

     It didn't take long for her to catch up with the rest of her followers. Their fear-scent left an easy trail to follow. She found them huddled together in a small clearing, licking their wounds and trembling in fear under the shade of a fir tree.

     Snowbird was the first to notice her. “Shrewfoot!” she gasped. All of her followers scrambled to their paws, eyes wide as they took in the state of their leader. “What happened?”

     Shrewfoot met each of their gazes with a steely glare of her own. These cats were all she had now – she couldn't afford to reveal any weakness to them. “The battle is lost,” she admitted in a growl. “Tigerstar has sent us all into exile. We're to leave the territory before sundown.”

     Snowbird's eyes stretched wide with horror, and Shrewfoot could see Stoneclaw stiffened in shock from where he stood. Smokefoot and Crowfrost exchanged a quick glance, seeming concerned, and Pinenose's tail was trembling. Only Treeshadow seemed undisturbed. “Of course he exiled us,” she sneered. “That coward knows he'll never keep his leadership with us around to challenge him. Good riddance, I say. ShadowClan's gone too soft anyway.”

     Crowfrost looked thoughtful, and Smokefoot give a small nod. But Snowbird still seemed concerned. “What are we going to do now, Shrewfoot?” she asked. There was a tremor of fear in her mew. “We can't go back to ShadowClan, not now, and none of the other Clans will stand having us on our territory. Where will we go?”

     At first, Shrewfoot was at a loss for words. In all of her planning, she had never considered the possibility of losing. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now that she was no longer ShadowClan. She had given everything to her Clan. She was nothing without them. Her entire life had been devoted to protecting the warrior code – but now she had failed.

     Slowly, anger began to creep through her pelt. She wasn't the one who had failed. She had stayed true to the warrior code, and she had tried to defend it. It was _ShadowClan_ that had failed. _They_ were the ones who had strayed so far from the warrior code that they were willing to let a halfClan fool lead their Clan into ruin. She had risked everything to save them from Tigerstar, and one by one, they had turned on her. This was the fault of the Clans, all of them. They had betrayed their own code. _They_ were the traitors, not her.

     Shrewfoot had believed for so long in the preservation of her Clan – but what was the point, if they didn't even follow their own code, and were willing to outcast those truly loyal enough to do what it took to defend it? Hatred was stirring in her gut, growing blacker and blacker with each new thought. Perhaps, all of those seasons ago, Sol had been right. The time of the Clans was ended – not because of any disappearing sun, but because of their own failures and treachery. If she could no longer be loyal to the code by serving her Clan, then she would avenge it by destroying them.

     She whipped her head around to face her followers, who flinched at the sudden movement. “A cat came to speak with me about our rebellion some days ago,” she revealed. “That WindClan cat who was exiled after the Dark Battle – he's calling himself Breeze now.” Murmurs of surprise rippled through the gathered cats, but they continued to listen. “He asked me to ally my group with his – he's got some sort of rogue following set on destroying the Clans. I didn't listen to him then. I didn't think we needed a traitor's help to save our Clan.” She lifted her chin, meeting each of her followers' gazes. “But now I see that I was wrong about who the traitors are.”

     She thought she could see fear in Snowbird's expression, and from Stoneclaw as well. But the white she-cat held it in well. “So what exactly is the plan?” she asked.

     Shrewfoot lashed her tail, relishing the energy that her new hatred lent her. “We're going to join Breeze's army of rogues,” she announced.

     “And we are going to help him make the Clans pay for every one of their failures.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it was definitely interesting going back to this scene, after having written it from a different POV a few years ago. A lot of the dialouge in the last bit will seem familiar to any of you that have read The Broken Shadow, but I still tried to keep the descriptions new and interesting enough despite the repeated dialogue.
> 
> Anyway, I mentioned that this chapter would skip forward in time to some of the events of EOTW. Here we get to see the battle at the end of The Broken Shadow from Shrewfoot's perspective. The next - and final - chapter will have another time skip forward. It will also contain major spoilers from Silent Sacrifice, the last main book in the Echoes of the War series. So if anyone is planning on reading that and hasn't done so yet, I'd advise against reading the last chapter of this just yet, to avoid spoilers.
> 
> Here we get to see Shrewfoot's rationale behind her rebellion against Tigerstar, and her reaction upon being outcast. I had more I wanted to say here, but now I can't think of it. For anyone who hasn't read TBS yet, I hope this explained things well enough.
> 
> I'll probably have the last chapter done by tomorrow, so stay tuned for that. ^^


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seasons later, a battle is raging on the moorland...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 4: Shrewfoot's Spite  
Chapter Ten

     The snow-covered moor was cloaked in the darkness of night, though the lightening of the sky hinted at the arrival of dawn. All around the clearing, cats were screeching and yowling as they tore at each other with furious claws. But the battle had been raging for a good part of the night, and now, every cat was starting to tire.

     Through the chaos of the battle, one gray she-cat struggled to keep herself going. The battle had taken its toll on her as well. But she couldn't give in. Not now. She had passed the point of turning back a long time ago.

     It had been several moons since Shrewfoot had joined with Breeze's rogues. He had stripped her of her warrior name, and had made her one of his army, training her and her followers to destroy the Clans. Shrew had thrown herself into her new mission, determined to make the Clans pay for destroying their own code. But everything had fallen apart when the Clans had attacked Breeze's camp. Shrew's own followers turned on her, and she was sent fleeing from the camp for her life. She had been left with nothing. No leader, no mission, no followers, no one to care about or to care about her. No one that cared about all she had done for the warrior code, no one to care whether she lived or died.

     So when Breeze's mate Scorch had found her, and had asked her to join her in her quest to destroy the Clans forever, Shrew had accepted without hesitation. She hadn't turned away when she'd learned that Scorch was to be possessed by the Spirit of Darkness, nor when she'd learned that helping Scorch win the battle would mean the destruction of StarClan and all other skies where good cats walked forever.

     Once, she would have laid down her life to protect the honor of StarClan and defend the fact that they watched over the Clans. But she had given up caring about that the day that her Clan had turned against her. What should she care that StarClan would be destroyed forever, and the light snuffed out from the world with darkness left to take over? StarClan had allowed the Clans to contaminate themselves with filthy blood, turn their backs on their own code, and outcast cats who had only been trying to defend their code. They _deserved_ to be wiped out.

     Shrew ducked and weaved as she fought, slicing out at random, no longer caring who she struck. Two cats were away from the rest of the fight, leaping and striking and biting with a strength and speed far beyond that of any mortal cat. Shrew could just recognize the pelts of Scorch and Silentstorm through the blur of motion. It had surprised her to learn that the blind ThunderClan warrior was to be the vessel of the Spirit of Light. Silentstorm had been present at the battle that had seen Shrewfoot exiled from ShadowClan, and she had been one of the ones to kill Breeze. Shrew had always sneered at the idea of ThunderClan training one of their weakest cats to be a warrior, but it seemed that StarClan had seen something in the nosy weakling and had chosen her for their prophecy. Foolish of them – Shade and Scorch would defeat the blind cat easily, and then darkness would spread across the world.

     The brown she-cat that Shrew was fighting leaped at her, but she easily sidestepped the attack, striking hard at her shoulder with unsheathed claws. Her opponent, a WindClan cat named Nightfern, fell to the ground with a thud. Glee sparked through Shrew's pelt. She buried her fangs into Nightfern's back and slashed at her pelt again and again with her claws, until Nightfern was left twitching and spasming underneath of her. Satisfaction bubbled under her pelt. Nightfern was the daughter of the rogue Breeze and WindClan cat Heatherstar, and had helped Silentstorm kill her father. Her father might've been born in WindClan, but she'd been raised knowing he was a rogue. She was as filthy-blooded as any other halfClan cat, and she had taken away Shrew's first chance of revenge. She was going to enjoy watching the brown cat die.

     Suddenly, Shrew was distracted from her victim by a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. A dark gray tabby was battling against Bluebird, desperation glowing in her eyes as she ducked and weaved to avoid the attacks of the larger tom. Hunger burned in Shrew's gut. The tabby was Darkbreeze, sister of Nightfern, and even more of a rulebreaker and weakling than her sister. Shrew immediately abandoned Nightfern and started stalking towards her new prey. The tabby was badly wounded on one side, and exhaustion was glowing in her eyes. Shrew would be able to make short work of her.

     “Leave her alone!” Before Shrew could react, a weight suddenly slammed into her side. Shrew snarled her rage as she and her attacker were sent tumbling to the ground, each fighting to pin the other as they struggled together in the snow. The tom was bigger and stronger than her, but Shrew was hardened from moons of training, and was quicker in pinning him down.

     Shrew used her weight to slam the scrawny gray tom onto his back. After a brief look, she was able to recognize him as Eeltooth, a warrior of RiverClan. He was close friends with several cats outside of his Clan, and he had loner and ThunderClan blood from his father. He was as filthy-blooded as the rest of Silentstorm's traitor friends. “You Clan cats should have learned by now,” she hissed as she pushed Eeltooth's muzzle into the snow with one paw. “Fighting to protect halfClan scum like that only makes you weak.” She relished the way Eeltooth snarled his pain, struggling to pull free of her grip. She lowered her muzzle and bared her fangs in the tom's face. “And now you'll die for it!”

     Eeltooth kicked out against her belly, but with a swift movement, Shrewfoot pinned his back legs. She aimed to bite his throat, but the scrawny warrior struck out against her muzzle with unsheathed claws. She pulled her muzzle back with a howl of pain. With her grip loosened, Eeltooth fought to pull loose, twisting around to push at her chest with his shoulder. But an injury to his leg seemed to keep him from being to muster the strength to shove her off. Shrew was easily able to push him back off-balance, and the two cats were back to struggling to gain the upper paw. Eeltooth was on top of Shrew, and had nearly managed to pin Shrew's limbs when she saw an opening. Her claws unsheathed, and she struck out, tearing them through the flesh of his throat.

     Eeltooth's eyes flew wide open. With a gargled cry, he tried to push onto his paws, only to fall forward onto Shrew. The rogue managed to wriggle free from under Eeltooth's dead weight. She turned back on him, snarling as she readied to attack once more. One more blow would finish the tom. Rather than rising up to meet her attack, Eeltooth remained on his side, curling in on himself with his paws twitching feebly. _He's dying,_ Shrew thought with a rush of satisfaction.

     A horrified shriek sounded from behind Shrew. Before she could finished Eeltooth off, two masses of claw and muscle slammed into her and sent her crashing to the ground. Shrew scrambled quickly back to her paws, snarling her rage as she recognized the two warriors blocking her from her prey. The scrawny gray she-cat was Finstrike, sister to Eeltooth and just as filthy-blooded. The tortoiseshell was a ShadowClan warrior named Specklefoot, daughter of her old friend-turned-traitor Redwillow and the halfClan Ivytail. Fury burned in her heart at the sight of the tortoiseshell. She represented everything that was wrong with ShadowClan now – she was soft, weak, she was close friends with cats from the other Clans, and her blood was mixed. Her father had been a traitor, her mother had been weak, and her aunt Olivenose had helped Tigerstar destroy their Clan. Her blood burned with the desire to tear Specklefoot's throat open. She flew at the she-cat, aiming for her throat, but Finstrike and Specklefoot both met her attack. Specklefoot seemed deadly calm as she faced her former Clanmate, but Finstrike was roaring with rage, showing no mercy as she slashed and sliced at the cat who had killed her brother.

     Hatred lent Shrew the strength to meet the attacks of both she-cats. One strike sent her claws ripping through the soft flesh of Finstrike's ear, another brought them tearing across Specklefoot's face. But she was weary from the battle, and the warriors were fueled by the desire for revenge.

     Shrew screeched in fear as Specklefoot slammed her hard onto her back. Before she had a chance to struggle free, Finstrike struck out with her claws, digging them deep into the flesh of Shrew's belly and tearing it open.

     Horrible, blinding agony scorched through every hair on Shrew's pelt. A screech of agony tore from her throat. The rogue fought to push onto her paws, to strike out at her murderers, to do _something_ , but her body would no longer obey her. Her strength was fading. An icy chill was creeping over her pelt, darkness sweeping over her vision. She made one last, desperate thrash to pull free, before falling limp as the pain took over. Her eyes closed against her will, and she felt the darkness pulling her in.

     At first, there was nothing. Only darkness. Shrew had the sensation of floating, detached from her own body and mind, alone in a void. All that she could feel was fear.

     Then, Shrew could feel something solid under her paws, and her body was her own again. A groan escaped her. Her eyes fluttered open, only to widen in shock. Rather than the moor where she had been fighting, Shrew now found herself in an unfamiliar forest. The trees were an ashy gray, the bark slick and wet as though there had been rain. A thick fog hung all around her, the stench of something rotting in the air, though there was no wind to carry it. There was no grass under her paws, and nothing but toadstool around the trees. Above her head hung a black and starless sky.

     Shrew bristled in shock, horror creeping over her pelt. The memory of Finstrike tearing her belly open played in her mind. “I...I'm dead,” she realized aloud.

     “Hello, Shrew.”

     Shrew stiffened in surprise. She scrambled to her paws, whirling around to face the cat who had spoken – only to reel back in shock. “Spiderfoot,” she breathed.

     She had not seen the tom that stood in front of her for many seasons, but she was still able to recognize him in an instant. His pelt was sleeker and his body softer and plumper than she remembered, but the gray-and-black shade of his fur was the same as it had always been, and his eyes were the same blue, though there was more strength in them than she had seen there before. A dark blue collar hung around his neck. A confusing torrent of emotions broke over her at the sight of him, but when she noticed the collar, hatred took back over. “So you really did it, all of those moons ago,” she hissed. “You abandoned your Clan to become a _kittypet._ ”

     Spiderfoot watched her with a sad gleam in his eyes. Even though so much time had passed, Shrew could tell that something was different about her brother. He held his head higher and with more pride than he ever had in ShadowClan. “I did,” he confirmed. Even his mew sounded stronger than before. “And I'm not Spiderfoot anymore – my house folk call me Chester.”

     Shrew curled her lip in disgust. “ _Chester,_ ” she repeated, spitting the word out like it was poison. “So what brings you here now, _Chester?_ Come to mock your sister in her defeat?” For a moment, the briefest amount of concern managed to pierce through her hatred. “You're not dead too, are you?”

     Chester shook his head. “No, I'm still alive, and quite happy with my house folk,” he told Shrew. “But the last few nights, I've been having dreams about you, and then an old friend came to lead me here.”

     “An old friend?” Shrew repeated with a curled lip.

     As she watched, a familiar tortoiseshell padded out of the gloom, coming to stand beside Chester. “He means me,” she murmured. Starlight gleamed in her fur, and her eyes glowed with a wisdom she had never exhibited in life. “I thought your brother deserved to have some closure, after everything that's happened.”

     Shrew felt a rush of contempt. “Ivytail,” she greeted with a lash of her tail. Her old denmate had died in the Dark Battle, murdered by her own mate. Shrew hadn't seen her in the seasons since she had died – but her contempt for the flighty tortoiseshell hadn't faded. “Are you satisfied, now that your daughter helped to murder me?” she sneered.

     Ivytail just watched the dead rogue with an even expression. Chester, on the other paw, lashed his tail and glared at his sister. “Just stop it, Shrew,” he growled. Shrew couldn't help but be surprised – her brother had never raised his voice to her in his life. “The only cat to blame for what has happened is you, Shrew. It was your own choices and actions that brought you to the Dark Forest.”

     Shrew couldn't help the shiver that ran through her pelt at the sound of her new home. She had guessed where she had woken up, but hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. “I'm here because StarClan are a bunch of weak-willed cowards who won't uphold their own code,” she hissed, lashing her tail. “And how dare _you_ judge me, brother! At least I was strong enough to do what needed to be done to defend the warrior code, but you? You were such a sniveling coward that you ran away to become a twoleg pet rather than face up to your own shame!” Shrew drew herself up, bristling from head to toe. “Do you even know what it was like for me? The shame I had to live with, the daughter of a weak leader with a brother who ran off to be a kittypet? But I overcame it, and I became the warrior you _never_ could have been. I would have made ShadowClan great if they'd only let me!”

     Chester listened to Shrew rant and rave with a calm sadness to his expression. When he did speak again, there was a touch of wistfulness in his tone. “No, Shrew,” he said almost gently. “You wouldn't. All you would have done is ruin them.” Shrew opened her jaws to argue, but Ivytail warned her off with a sharp flick of her starry tail. “I admit, I was a coward in leaving ShadowClan without telling you. I meant to, that day by the stream. I was getting myself ready to tell you. But you were so angry, Shrew, and so filled with hate for any cat who dared disagree with the warrior code. I just couldn't bear to tell you that I was leaving forever.” He sighed. “I wish I'd had the courage then to tell you. You deserved to hear it from me. But I suspect now that it wouldn't have made much difference. You made your own choices, in the end.”

     “But you're wrong to say I ran away from my shame,” he continued. “Staying where I was not happy – and not of any use to my Clan – was what would have been shameful. Deciding to leave was what made me brave. I let go of my shame, and the idea that being afraid of battle and death somehow made me a less worthy cat. Any cat who lives peacefully and without an aim to hurt innocent cats lives a worthy life. It took me a while to accept that, but the longer I've stayed in twolegplace, the more I've realized the truth of it.”

     Shrew gave a wretched _mrowrr_ of laughter. “Kittypets, living a _worthy_ life?” she repeated mockingly. “Living so long with twolegs has turned your brain to fluff, brother. You've lost your pride.”

     “No, Shrew,” Chester mewed. “It hasn't made lose anything – it's made me happy. I was never happy in ShadowClan, but living with my house folk, I've finally found where I belong. I love my life with them. I have a family that loves about me, I have friends that care about me – I even have a mate, with kits on the way.” For a moment, blissful joy glowed in Chester's blue eyes, the likes of which she had never seen from him when he'd lived in ShadowClan. The sight of it made Shrew waver, ever so slightly.

     Then the sadness returned to them. “I'm sorry to see what's become of you, Shrew,” he murmured. “I know we weren't close anymore when I left, but I still remember growing up with you, how we used to play and listen to stories together. You're my sister – I still love you, even after all of this time.” He sighed. “But there's so little left of the sister I knew. You've become a monster, Shrew. You were willing to kill cats, just because of where their parents came from. You tried to help the Spirit of Darkness destroy the light of the world forever.”

     For a moment, grief blazed in his eyes, then anger took over. He took a step back, lashing his tail. “It's over now,” he murmured. “You won't be able to hurt any more cats ever again. This will be your home now, for now until the end of time. You will walk here alone, with nothing to offer you company but your own regrets.” He lifted his chin, meeting Shrew's glare with a steady gaze of his own. “Farewell, Shrew,” he said in a clear tone. “I wish things had been different – but I have a life to get back to. And you will never be a part of it again.”

     Shrew watched, silent and dumbfounded, as Chester and Ivytail turned away from her. The pair began padding away until they were swallowed up by the darkness of the forest. Once they were gone, there was no sound at all. The silence battered at Shrew's senses, tearing at her like claws at her pelt. She felt herself begin to tremble all over. The dank, tormenting place was to be her home for the rest of time. And there was nothing she could do to change that.

     Hatred and fear and regret churned together in her gut as she looked out into the gloom, knowing that she would never see the light again. She had failed in her revenge – and now, she would wander alone with the consequences of it for the rest of time.

END OF NOVELLA FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. This is the end of Shrewfoot's Spite. ^^ It's always a weird feeling, finishing a book. I do have another novella planned (well really, I have several, but I have one that I plan on doing next), but it's probably going to be a while until I start it. I can't focus on my original stuff while I'm working on fanfic, so I want to put my novel first for a while before starting on another fan novella. So this is going to be it for a while, most likely. Don't worry, you'll still get art from me though, and hopefully an art-related project will be done in a few months.
> 
> Here we get to see Shrew's death from her perspective, and see her ultimate fate in the Dark Forest. Bringing Spiderfoot aka Chester back to confront Shrew one more time and finally say a proper farewell (though much different in tone than it would've been when he left) seemed like the best way to wrap up his storyline and wrap up the book itself. I was going to have him be a dead spirit visiting Shrew, originally, but five-ish years old felt rather young to kill him off, so I opted to keep him alive with Ivytail bringing him there instead. I could've used one of his parents, but I'm not sure they can bear to confront Shrew just yet. Ivytail, however, was probably one of the cats more willing to be friendly with Chester while he was in ShadowClan, being rather a gentle and kind cat herself, so she remembered him and saw that he was regretting never getting closure with his sister and decided to help him out.
> 
> I didn't get to show Chester's kittypet life here, but I have thought a fair bit about it. He lives with a twoleg couple named George and Sandra, with their teenage daughter Lizzie and preteen daughter Alyssa. Lizzie was the one who found Chester on their doorstep and took him in, and she's the closest with him, though the whole family adores him. The family already had two cats when they took him in - a plump ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes named Max, and a tortie-and-white she-cat with green eyes named Sweetie. One of the local kittypets directed Chester to their den as a potential home when he first arrived in twolegplace (one far from ShadowClan, so they could never find him if they decided to), and the two kittypets welcomed Chester immediately into their home.
> 
> His mate is a pale gray she-cat with pale green eyes named Peppermint, who lives in a nearby twoleg den, and their kits (who are born some time after the Silent Battle) are Jet, a black tom with pale green eyes, Dustin, a gray-and-white tom with blue eyes, and Tina, a dark gray she-cat with Shrew's golden eyes. Chester is so much happier living as a kittypet then he ever was as a warrior, and never regrets his decision to become a kittypet, except for missing his parents and sister.
> 
> I felt like there was more I wanted to say here, but I can't remember what it was. It was a lot of fun writing this book. Once I came up with the idea of Chester and Shrew being littermates, and his becoming a kittypet affecting her, all of the plot points just fell really neatly into place, and it was just a very interesting look at this character's life. I personally hate Shrew the most of the EOTW characters, but she wasn't as awful yet as a young cat as she would later be, so it was an interesting balance of showing she wasn't 100% pure evil, but she still made a lot of terrible choices, and she allowed herself to become hateful.
> 
> I don't know when I'll get around to writing the next novella, but until then, I hope you've enjoyed Shrewfoot's Spite. ^^


End file.
